Dramatic Donegal rally leaves Derry in drop peril
Shane McGuigan of Derry and Michael Murphy of Donegal. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
A Shane O’Donnell goal was the catalyst for Donegal as they came from eight points down in the last 10 minutes to overcome neighbours Derry in Ballyshannon.
O’Donnell gave a give-and-go with the talismanic Michael Murphy to smash past Odhran Lynch in the 64th minute and take Donegal back to 1-19 to 1-16 behind and from there, Jim McGuinness’s team knocked over scores from Ciaran Thompson, Conor O’Donnell, Ciaran Moore and Daire Ó Baoill.
The defeat leaves Paddy Tally’s side's Division 1 survival hopes hanging by a thread, while Donegal are on eight points at the summit of the table alongside Galway.
It is a game that Derry may feel they left behind and the Donegal manager feels that his own team must improve as they can at least look forward to a weekend off having now played five weeks on the bounce, as a result of being unable to travel to Killarney for the first series of games.
“Derry will be devastated,” he said. “Derry were eight points up and they will feel as if they let us off the hook. That will be positive for them over the longer term. Going into the Championship, they’ll know that if they get everything in order they can really have a go at us in Ballybofey.
“We know what’s coming in Ballybofey in five weeks’ time. Even though it was a round five League game, there were a lot of learnings on both sides from today.
“The long and the short of today is that it’s very simple analysis. We looked very tired and we looked like we were flat. We lacked our normal energy and our normal intensity. With the best will in the world, there are fellas there - and I know them well at this stage - and they are trying to get there and they couldn’t get there.”
Donegal’s fatigue was shown in the fact they kicked 14 wides and dropped one short into Lynch’s hands.
Derry had the breeze in the first half and its last kick, a Shane McGuigan two-pointer free, gave them a lead of 0-11 to 0-7. Lachlan Murray, who was perhaps the best player on display, had kicked a two beforehand, although pulled up at the end with a hamstring injury.
The Oak Leafers were defending the arc well and although the scoring popped over and back to just 0-4 apiece after 22 minutes, finished the half well and should’ve had a goal as early as the eighth minute when Shaun Patton saved from Murray and then the Derry forward couldn’t get the rebound past Eoghan Ban Gallagher on the line.
Although there was an element of shadow-boxing with the sides to meet in the first week in April in the Ulster SFC preliminary round, Derry needed points with just one from their first four outings.
With Murphy introduced at the interval alongside Odhran McFadden Ferry - who was making his first inter-county appearance in almost three years having suffered two cruciate injuries, Donegal had work to do.
But at the end of the third quarter the game was slipping away from them - particularly after a Derry goal on 43 minutes when Conor Glass tucked under Patton having been freed by Conoe Doherty. McGuigan and Murray kept them on the front foot and with 10 to play they were looking pretty comfortable, 1-19 to 0-15 ahead. But from then on Donegal clocked 1-7 without reply and are closing in on a Division 1 final, although do they want to be there one week out from Ulster?
“I believe that maybe 50% of the cohort don’t want to be in the League final and I think that does diminish the competition,” McGuinness said of a possible final. “We now will not be thinking about the League final. We now will be thinking about what’s right for us. If that means being in the League final, it means being in the League final. That will be a consideration when we make those decisions.”
Ciaran Thompson 0-6 (1 2pt, 1 2ptf), Daire Ó Baoill 0-5 (1 2pt), Shane O’Donnell 1-1, Oisin Gallen 0-3 (1 2pt), Conor O’Donnell 0-3, Hugh McFadden, Ryan McHugh, Michael Murphy (f), Ciaran Moore 0-1 each
Shane McGuigan 0-6 (1 2ptf, 4f), Lachlan Murray 0-6 (1 2pt), Conor Glass 1-1, Paul Cassidy 0-2, Eoin McEvoy, Niall Loughlin, Ethan Doherty, Conor Doherty, 0-1 each.
S Patton; M Curran, B McCole, E Gallagher; R McHugh, C McGonagle, C Moore; C Thompson, H McFadden; S O'Donnell, N O'Donnell, D Ó Baoill; C O'Donnell, O Gallen, J Brennan.
M Murphy for N O’Donnell, O McFadden-Ferry for Curran (both half-time), C McColgan for Brennan (50), E McHugh for McFadden (59), O Doherty for R.McHugh (59)
O Lynch; D Baker, E McEvoy, M Bradley; C Doherty, B Rogers, P McGrogan; C Glass, A Tohill; D Higgins, P Cassidy, E Doherty; N Loughlin, S McGuigan, L Murray.
M Doherty for McEvoy (50), C McMonagle for Loughlin (53), D Cassidy for Rogers (59), P McGurk for McGrogan (66)
J Henry (Mayo)
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