Donegal 1-09
Derry 0-10
MARTIN O’REILLY WAS the unlikely hero for Donegal as they stuttered on their way in to a fifth straight Ulster final.
O’Reilly’s 45th minute goal ended up being the difference between the sides as Rory Gallagher’s forwards racked up 19 missed opportunities with a mix of wayward shooting and poor shot selection.
Derry, however, will also head home regretting missed chances and their frustration was clear to see as they earned two black cards in the closing minutes.
The opening quarter was anything but tight as Derry fashioned an early goal-chance to signal the start of some end-to-end football.
Enda Lynn spun on to his left peg, eight yards out and left of the net, but he turned to find Paul Durcan quick off his line and close enough to smother the shot.
After Odhrán MacNiallais and Eoin Bradley traded early scores, Donegal quickly opened up a three-point advantage with further scores from Pady McBrearty and Christy Toye. Derry were written off in all quarters. But as the reigning champions took their foot off the pedal, the Oak Leaf county were happy to accept an invitation back into the game; Cailean O’Boyle and Mark Lynch opened their account from play and levelled the game after 22 minutes.
There were only two more scores in the first half, but it was a telling one from Colm McFadden, shrugging off energetic defenders before guiding over a beauty of a left foot score from the left flank.
After Chrissy McKaigue levelled the tie again, Murphy came closest to a goal for Donegal in the first half. However, his powerful swipe down at a Ryan McHugh diagonal was brilliantly saved by Mallon and the sides went in at the break level at five points apiece.
McFadden earned the official man of the match award with another huge score after the match resumed, and Murphy also stepped in for timely cameos to show his immense class with two brilliant points under pressure.
After one such score, Donegal really hit their straps and directly after a Martin McElhinney point, Gallagher’s men came roaring back forward with Neil Gallagher galloping through the middle of the field, drawing defenders before hand-passing to O’Reilly who managed to scamper wide of the on-rushing Mallon before side-footing the ball in to the net.
From there on in, Donegal shut down. Their 20 minutes without a score allowed Lynch, O’Boyle and Benny Herron chip away at the deficit and make it a two-point game with 12 minutes on the clock.
Cometh the hour, however, cometh the man: Captain Michael Murphy was standing on his 45 when McBrearty rattled a post with a straightforward free. His positional sense proved spot on as the ball broke back to him and he let fly with a score that steadied the ship and rekindled the doubt in Derry.
The Oak Leaf county refused to die down, but after edging to within two points again their frustration began to show and a pair of needless, cynical (and in the second case, nasty) fouls from Brendan Rodgers and Ciaran McFaul that yielded black cards and gave Donegal further chance to slow the game to walking pace with thoughts turning to Monaghan in Clones on 19 July.
Scorers
Donegal: M O’Reilly 1-00 P McBrearty, 0-02, 1f, M Murphy 0-02, C McFadden 0-02, M McElhinney 0-01; C Toye 0-01, O MacNiallais 0-01.Derry: M Lynch 0-02, 1f, E Bradley 0-02, 2f, C O’Boyle 0-02, C McKaigue 0-01, C McFaul 0-01; N Holly 0-01, B Heron 0-01.
Donegal: P Durcan; P McGrath, N McGee, E McGee; M O’Reilly, K Lacey, F McGlynn; N Gallagher, M McElhinney; C Toye, O MacNiallais, R McHugh; P McBrearty, M Murphy, C McFadden.
Subs: M McHugh for McFadden, A Thompson for Toye, H McFadden for McElhinney, D Walsh for McBrearty.
Derry: T Mallon; O Duffy, B Rogers, D McBride; K Johnston, C McKaigue, C McFaul; N Holly, F Doherty; SL McGoldrick, M Lynch, E Lynn; D Heavron, E Bradley, C O’Boyle.
Subs: B Heron for McGoldrick, L McGoldrick for Duffy, T O’Brien for Lynn, N Loughlin for Bradley, Lynn for O’Boyle, C McAtamney for Rogers (BC).
Referee: R Hickey (Clare)
- Originally published 21.00
