Donegal dump Dublin out of All-Ireland Ladies championship

SIZZLING ON SATURDAY: Donegal players Shauna McFadden, left, and teammate Evelyn McGinley after the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies SFC quarter-final win over Dublin at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada

TG4 All-Ireland Ladies SFC quarter-final 

Donegal 3-7 

Dublin 1-7 

Karen Guthrie scored two of Donegal’s three second half goals as they dumped Dublin out of the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada in Carrick-on-Shannon.

After a solid first half which saw Donegal 0-4 to 0-1 in front, they played the breaks to perfection, with Yvonne Bonner scoring the first goal before Guthrie added two more. Carla Rowe managed to bundle home one for Dublin in the last minute but it came far too late to change the outcome of this quarter-final.

Donegal scored the opening two points through Geraldine McLaughlin, the first of her five frees, and Amy Boyle Carr, and although Dublin got on the scoreboard ten minutes in, that was to be the last score for a quarter of an hour.

The longer the half went on, the more things began to click for Donegal, with a 15-minute scoreless spell concluded with a McLaughlin free and then another effort on 28 minutes that edged them into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead by the break.

Dublin didn’t manage a point from play in the first period yet it took less than 20 seconds for Lyndsey Davey to split the pots after half-time, with the words of manager Mick Bohan still ringing in her ears.

McLaughlin, though, added two more frees, either side of another Tyrell effort and it was 0-6 to 0-3 for Donegal on 40 minutes. Their spirits were further lifted with the introduction of former captain Guthrie, who was named to start but has been struggling with an ankle injury.

Three minutes later, Bonner slammed past Ciara Trant for a 1-6 to 0-3 lead, with Boyle Carr bursting into space down the right before having the presence of mind to look up and lay the ball inside.

Donegal stuck with their gameplan though, with a long Niamh Hegarty ball finding Bonner, who laid off for Guthrie to add a second goal on 49 minutes and the dream was becoming reality.

Dublin were reeling and fluffing their lines and five minutes later a boomer from Guthrie which was dropping short, fell into the net with Tanya Kennedy’s presence perhaps distracting Trant. Donegal were now ten points up, 3-7 to 0-6.

Dublin kept pushing and scrambled a 59th minute goal from Rowe after Caoimhe O’Connor’s first shot was blocked. For Donegal, it was one of their most famous days.

Scorers for Donegal: K Guthrie 2-1, G McLaughlin 0-5 (5f), Y Bonner 1-0, A Boyle Carr 0-1.

Scorers for Dublin: C Rowe 1-3 (3f), H Tyrell 0-2 (1f), L Davey 0-1, J Dunne 0-1.

DONEGAL: R McCafferty; E Gallagher, E McGinley, T Kennedy; D Foley, S Twohig, T Hegarty; K Herron, Nicole McLaughlin; Niamh McLaughlin, R Rodgers, A Boyle Carr; N Hegarty, Y Bonner, G McLaughlin.

Sub: K Guthrie for T Hegarty (40).

DUBLIN: C Trant; J Tobin, L Caffrey, L Magee; A Kane, M Byrne, S Goldrick; J Dunne, K McDaid; N Owens, C Rowe, K Sullivan; H Tyrrell, C O’Connor, L Davey.

Subs: N Hetherington for Sullivan (48), S Kileen for Owens (58).

Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois).