Donegal overcome Tyrone to book last-four spot

Jim McGuinness saw his side lead for almost the entire game.

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness during the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup Group A match against Tyrone. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Donegal 0-15 Tyrone 1-10

Donegal booked their place in the Dr McKenna Cup semi-finals, ensuring at least one extra game for returning manager Jim McGuinness ahead of the start of the Allianz League, as they comfortably overcame north-west neighbours Tyrone at O’Neills Healy Park.

They led for almost the entire contest, going behind briefly to a Ciaran Daly goal late on, but finishing with assurance despite missing a host of goal chances.

Tyrone managers Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher handed out four debuts against an experienced Donegal side that contained Ryan McHugh, back in the fold after returning for his first game in 18 months a few days earlier in the win over Armagh.

Donegal imposed themselves on the game in the opening stages, gong in front through Peadar Mogan and Paddy McBrearty, and were denied a goal by Brian Kennedy’s stop on the line from Jame Brennan, sent clear by Oisin Gallen’s defence-splitting pass.

And it was Kennedy who got the home side off the mark with a fisted point in the ninth minute, but they were soon on the back foot again, forced deep into their own half with 15 players behind the ball.

And when they did break out, they were vulnerable to turnovers, with Ryan McHugh launching a fast counter-attack for Brennan to finish, putting his side 0-4 to 0-1 ahead at the end of the opening quarter.

The Red Hands had fallen five adrift by the time Darragh Canavan worked his magic with a delightful score to cheer the home crowd, but they were struggling for possession around the middle, where the visitors mopped up vast amounts of ball to maintain their procession towards the Tyrone goal.

McBrearty converted his third free and Odhran Doherty fired over a point, and another goal chance on the breakaway saw Michael Langan over-hit his return pass to Brendan McCole, and following another let-off, the home side was somewhat fortunate to trail by just five at the break, 0-9 to 0-4.

A blanket of dense fog had descended on Healy Park by the resumption, but Harte and Canavan had no problem in steering frees between the posts to narrow the gap to three inside five minutes.

Canavan ran strongly at the Donegal defence, winning a couple of frees that he converted himself, and by the 55th minute, just a point separated the sides.

Having conceded four on the spin, Donegal nailed the next two, with Oisin Gallen getting his name on the score-sheet with a couple of points, but Tyrone, with the introduction of Conn Kilpatrick improving their lot in the midfield battle, He was at the heart of a move that saw substitute Ciaran Daly palm home a 59th minute goal with his first touch, and the Red Hands were in front for the first time.

But full forward Gallen was the man who would settle this tie, capping a fine second-half display with two late scores to steer his side over the line.

Scorers for Tyrone: C Daly 1-0, D Canavan 0-4 (3f), P Harte 0-2 (2f), B Kennedy, M McKernan, N Devlin, L McGarrity (m) 0-1 each.

Scorers for Donegal: O Gallen 0-4 (2f), P McBrearty 0-3 (3f), J Brennan, S O’Donnell (1m) 0-2 each, O Doherty, P Mogan, J McGee, O Caulfield 0-1 each.

Tyrone: N Morgan; C Devlin, N McCarron, A Clarke; T Quinn, M McKernan, N Devlin; B Kennedy, A Donaghy; D Jones, P Harte, J Donaghy; C Cush, D Canavan, S O’Donnell.

Subs: C Kilpatrick for Jones (h-t), C Quinn for McCarron (h-t), L McGarrity for Cush (48), B Cullen for Donaghy (48), C Daly for A Donaghy (54), Tiarnan Quinn for Canavan (57), J Garrity for Harte (70).

Donegal: S Patton; M Curran, B McCole, K McGettigan; R McHugh, C McGonagle, P Mogan; J Magee, M Langan; S O’Donnell, O Doherty, C Moore; P McBrearty, O Gallen, J Brennan.

Subs: C Thompson for McGee (44), O Caulfield for Doherty, L McGlynn for Brennan (53), S Martin for O’Donnell (62), S McMenamin for McCole (67), J McKelvey for McHugh (67).

Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh).