Paddy’s day as champions issue statement of intent

Donegal 2-10 Tyrone 0-10

In a typically robust and often ill-tempered affair in front of 17,519, they bested Tyrone for the third year running in the Ulster championship with a second-half display that oozed the confidence that comes with being All-Ireland winners.

Even with new injuries for Frank McGlynn and Anthony Thompson and the failure of Karl Lacey and Mark McHugh to start the game, they controlled this encounter when it mattered with a goal either side of half-time from Colm McFadden and Ross Wherity.

Both Lacey and McHugh made substitute appearances, which delighted Jim McGuinness, and there was further good news for him in the form of Paddy McBrearty’s performance.

Not mentioning his couple of points, the 19-year-old’s incredibly strong run for Wherity’s goal was the crowning achievement of a superb display. He left Dermot Carlin, Martin Penrose and Joe McMahon in his dust before hand-passing the ball across to Wherity who palmed the ball to the net.

That 49th minute score put Donegal ahead for the third and final time in the game, McBrearty fisting a point and then Michael Murphy taking advantage of a poor Niall Morgan kick-out.

It was a day to forget for the brash Morgan, who kicked just one of six scoring attempts having been faultless in the Division 1 final against Dublin last month.

After managing to find his range in the 19th minute with a free, he cajoled the Tyrone support and theatrically gestured to the Donegal following that he couldn’t hear them. But it was the home fans that had the last laugh as Morgan was forced to pick the ball out of his net twice outside of his missed placed balls.

Although, he can count himself somewhat unfortunate that Joe McQuillan didn’t implement the 13-metre distance properly during the game, allowing the likes of Donegal’s totemic stars Murphy and Rory Kavanagh to form a wall in front of him.

He contributed four of Tyrone’s 13 wides compared to Donegal’s five and Mickey Harte’s men will be kicking themselves for their erratic shooting.

For 32 long minutes, they didn’t score in the second half, Kyle Coney’s injury-time free bridging the massive gap to Sean Cavanagh’s disputed point in the 40th minute.

It was Donegal who ruled the roost, despite having been dominated by Tyrone in the middle third with Neil Gallagher’s aerial threat negated.

If McBrearty was the best player on the field, Wherity was a close second and made some telling contributions to Donegal’s cause in the centre of the pitch.

Joe McMahon picked up his first yellow card for an incident involving Wherity in the 55th minute and when he was issued a second for an off-the-ball trip on Michael Murphy Tyrone’s game was over.

Rory Kavanagh made it a six-point difference in the 63rd minute and Tyrone looked out of ideas especially when they were badly exposed by a Declan Walsh interception two minutes later.

McHugh did have to be on his toes to deny Peter Harte a goal three minutes from the end of normal time but McBrearty, who also had a decent penalty shout turned down, conjured some more magic seconds later before Coney’s deflected consolation score, Kavanagh doing exceptionally well to deny two goal attempts.

Tyrone actually deserved more out of the first half when they recovered from going 0-4 to 0-1 down after eight minutes to going ahead 20 minutes later, 0-6 to 0-5.

With their stranglehold in midfield, they were creating ample opportunities and a classy Stephen O’Neill point followed by Matthew Donnelly and Colm Cavanagh scores saw them pull ahead for the one and only time in the game.

O’Neill was having a ding-dong battle with Neil McGee and the pair tangled with one another on a number of occasions in the first half before O’Neill went further out the field against the wind after the interval.

McFadden’s goal in the 32nd minute was a timely one and it originated from a foul committed by Conor Clarke on Murphy spotted off the ball by McQuillan.

Murphy’s long punt into the wind was broken by McBrearty and McFadden capitalised.

A Murphy free from 50 metres soon followed and the initiative had swung back in Donegal’s favour despite Matthew Donnelly’s second score to make it 1-6 to 0-7 at half-time.

Until they match whatTyrone achieved in the Noughties, Red Hand supporters will argue McGuinness’ side will continue to live in their shadow.

But if yesterday is a portent, Donegal’s grip on the Anglo-Celt and Sam Maguire Cups look extremely tight. It will take a pliers to prise them away.

Scorers for Donegal: C McFadden 1-3 (0-2f); R Wherity 1-0; M Murphy 0-3 (0-2f); P McBrearty 0-2; David Walsh, R Kavanagh 0-1 each.

Scorers for Tyrone: S Cavanagh (1f), Matthew Donnelly 0-2 each; C McAliskey, S O’Neill, N Morgan (free), C Cavanagh, Justin McMahon, K Coney 0-1 each.

DONEGAL: P Durcan; P McGrath, N McGee, F McGlynn; A Thompson, E McGee, Declan Walsh; R Kavanagh, N Gallagher; David Walsh, L McLoone, R Bradley; P McBrearty, M Murphy, C McFadden.

Subs for Donegal: M McHugh for McGlynn (inj 21); M O’Reilly for Bradley (h-t); M McElhinney for David Walsh (43); K Lacey for Thompson, R Wherity for McLoone (both 47).

TYRONE: N Morgan; PJ Quinn, C Clarke, C McCarron; C Gormley, Justin McMahon, Matthew Donnelly; Joe McMahon, C Cavanagh; Mark Donnelly, S Cavanagh, P Harte; M Penrose, S O’Neill, C McAliskey.

Subs for Tyrone: P McNiece for McAliskey (30); D Carlin for Quinn (h-t); A Cassidy for Justin McMahon (56); K Coney for Mark Donnelly (60).

Red card: Joe McMahon (second yellow, 62).

Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).