McQuillan in black card firing line

The GAA have been hit by a second black card controversy in as many weeks after yesterday’s Ulster quarter-final in Derry.

Referee Joe McQuillan failed to issue a red card to Derry substitute James Kielt after he picked up a black card in second-half injury-time to add to a 67th minute yellow card.

The Cavan match official also elected not to show a black card to Patsy Bradley for a deliberate pull down on Odhrán Mac Niallais in the sixth minute.

Under the new rules, the combination of a yellow followed by a black card is a red card. Kielt was black carded for a hand trip on Eamon McGee having been cautioned earlier.

Derry manager Brian McIver was not aware Kielt had been yellow-carded previously and explained they did not bring on a substitute for him as they had already reached their maximum of six replacements.

McQuillan’s error follows David Coldrick’s failure to dismiss Conor Maginn for a similar deliberate pulldown on Mark Donnelly in the previous Sunday’s drawn first round Tyrone-Down game.

It is an identical mistake to Kevin Walsh’s one in a Corn Uí Mhuirí quarter-final last January when he failed to send off a Chorca Dhuihne player for a black card after he had earlier been shown a yellow. Coláiste Chríost Rí were awarded a replay.

McIver was unhappy with McQuillan’s general showing. “The least said on that performance, the better.”

Although, when asked if Donegal were benefiting from decisions at the Derry end of the field when Derry weren’t at the other, he said: “I would like somebody to explain that a wee bit. That’s not my job.”

He continued: “They [Donegal] have that wee bit of gamesmanship, that wee bit more craft. I don’t know why decisions were not going our way, but you would need to ask the referee about that.”

McIver rued the injury which forced Fergal Doherty off as early as the 16th minute. The veteran midfielder had started impressively.

But it was the first 10 minutes of the second half when Donegal, he admitted, “killed” Derry. “I don’t know what happened us in the start of the second half we didn’t play well at all.

“Falling behind against Donegal, it’s a hard, hard road back. Fair play to them, we really showed some character to come back. Gerard O’Kane came within a whisper of a score there that would have left a point in it with five minutes to go, but… didn’t happen.”

After speculation about player unrest in the camp, Jim McGuinness wasn’t in the mood to consider the victory as an answer to Donegal’s critics.

“I don’t care — not one hoot do I care because for us the most important thing is the Ulster championship. We focus on it, prepare for it and try to get it right.”

McGuinness spoke of the optimism inside the camp despite the decision by Mark McHugh and three other fringe players to leave the panel after the Division 2 final defeat by Monaghan.

“I didn’t feel under any pressure. Others were trying to put pressure on and were being negative but our camp was positive.

“The Ulster championship is absolutely massive and where you want to be and we prepare the team to try and hit a peak for the first round of the championship.

“Maybe in some other provinces without being disrespectful you can maybe peak later in the competition but you cannot do that in this competition.”