Forward thinking Donegal on song

The latest evidence Donegal have ditched the defensive game-plan which won them a first Ulster title in 19 years last summer came in Ballybofey on Saturday when they took Derry apart.

But it should be pointed out the opposition was very poor.

For the second championship game in a row, Donegal racked up a huge score which matched the 1-16 they hit against Cavan four weeks earlier.

Jim McGuinness’ team had nine different players on the scoresheet.

There were times last year when they didn’t even get nine points.

Once Leo McLoone’s goal in the 31st minute put clear daylight between the teams for the first time, helping Donegal open up a 1-6 to 0-4 lead at half-time, it was already over.

Donegal attacked in waves, completely wiping Derry out in midfield with the powerful triumvirate of Ryan Bradley, Neil Gallagher and the fit-again Michael Murphy who was, as expected, a late inclusion in the starting team.

Murphy started at full-forward against full-back Chrissy McKaigue, who was one of Derry’s best performers on the day, but he quickly drifted further out the field and helped Donegal establish an attacking platform from the middle.

The move which led to the second goal from Colm McFadden was typical of the play. Derry midfielder Michael Friel thought he’d won possession with a clean catch from the kick-out, but the ball was ripped out of his arms by three Donegal men, who set Paddy McBrearty free.

He carried the ball 30 yards right through the heart of the Derry defence, with the centre half-back nowhere to be seen, and timed his pass perfectly to McFadden who cut in on his weaker right foot to beat Barry Gillis.

The threats came from everywhere. Frank McGlynn was often the outlet at wing half-back. The fluidity of their attack, the movement and the speed, indicated Donegal are adding a whole new dimension to their play. Plaudits for them, however, must be tempered by the knowledge Derry were truly awful.

John Brennan made some remark about Giovanni Trapattoni after the game, and the comparisons were obvious. Here he was, an elder statesman, presiding over a limited bunch of footballers. Not a lot he could do. But it would hardly be letting the cat out of the sack to say that, like Trap, the tactics left a lot to be desired.

Derry only scored three points from play and whatever the game-plan was, it wasn’t obvious. Paddy Bradley was left isolated and frustrated, although he tried his heart out.

Having missed the Ulster final defeat to Donegal last year, he was out to make amends, but he got little or no service. Karl Lacey’s own counter-attacking game was sacrificed in order to do a man-marking job on Derry’s danger-man. With Mark McHugh also sweeping in front of Bradley, at least until the game was over as a contest, the Derry captain stood no chance.

Derry should have had a plan to counteract the inevitable shutting down of Bradley, but they didn’t.

Mark Lynch started brightly with a great opening point for Derry in the seventh minute, which levelled the scores at 0-1 apiece, but Eamon McGee had a good battle with him all day and curbed his threat.

In Derry’s defence, the injuries suffered a while back to Gerard O’Kane and Eoin Bradley, who came on when the game was effectively over, were a huge blow. They were not up to speed and Derry badly needed them. But Donegal’s incredible work-rate set them apart. David Walsh was a bit of an unsung hero doing a lot of unselfish work, yet still managed 0-2 from play.

Until the opening goal from McLoone, who volleyed home after McFadden’s attempted fist pass was partially blocked, Donegal did not have the dominance on the scoreboard that their play deserved. The goal helped them into a 1-6 to 0-4 half-time lead and the second-half following an inevitable path, McFadden’s 44th minute goal putting them 2-7 to 0-5 ahead.

The game petered out without intensity and no Derry fightback. Long before the end thoughts were turning towards a repeat of last year’s Ulster semi-final with Tyrone, a game most neutrals hoped to see.

Who is the best team in Ulster right now? The nature of Tyrone’s display against Armagh suggests they aren’t about to hand the mantle over to Donegal on a permanent basis. But Donegal are playing with real purpose and conviction these days with a highly organised method of play. And they have the footballers to execute it.

Scorers for Donegal: C McFadden 1-2 (2f), M Murphy 0-3 (3f), L McLoone (1-0), D Walsh, P McBrearty 0-2 each, R Bradley, N Gallagher, F McGlynn, A Thompson 0-1 each.

Scorers for Derry: Paddy Bradley (0-6, 5f), M Lynch, SL McGoldrick, Eoin Bradley (a '45') 0-1 each.

Subs for Donegal: D Molloy for McFadden 65, S Griffin for McLoone 66, C Toye for Bradley 68, M McElhinney for Walsh 68, A Hanlon for McBrearty 69.

Subs for Derry: M Donaghy for McCamley 42, Patsy Bradley for Lynn 45, Eoin Bradley (0-1, a '45') for Gilligan 53, C Kielt for O'Kane 55, Emmett Bradley for Diver 62.

Referee: Marty Duffy (Sligo).