Donegal 3-12
Galway 0-11
– Niall Kelly reports from Croke Park
DONEGAL WERE STAGGERING, rather than marching, towards the All-Ireland quarter-finals until a moment of magic from their captain set them straight.
The final football qualifier of the summer was still hanging in the balance with 10 minutes to play when Michael Murphy soared to palm a dropping ball towards Ryan McHugh.
An endorsement deal with Fairy Liquid might well be on the way, so soft was the touch. McHugh’s finish was a formality and Donegal set up a mouthwatering clash with Mayo back here next Saturday.
Galway were already well-beaten when Christy Toye added a third goal in additional time to take the final margin to 10 points, but the final score does no justice to the Tribesmen’s performance.
After falling behind to a Paddy McBrearty goal in the sixth minute, they rallied brilliantly to drag Donegal into a scrap that was part defensive chess, part dogfight. When the Ulstermen found another gear in the second half, they simply couldn’t cope.
McBrearty’s name went on the scoresheet for that early goal but the bulk of the credit belongs to Colm McFadden. He had a hand in all three Donegal goals, excelling in his playmaker role and adding four points of his own to boot.
He slipped in behind Johnny Duane and beat the Galway corner-back to a dropping ball, angling towards goal before laying it off to his young counterpart to finish.
It put Donegal into an early 1-2 to 0-1 lead, an advantage that can often seem insurmountable to opponents faced with the green and gold wall.
But they ran out of gas and were held scoreless for 28 minutes as the wides mounted, familiar failings from the Ulster final defeat to Monaghan.
Fortunately for their championship aspirations, by the time Murphy pointed a free to end the drought in the 44th minute, it was enough to draw them level again at 1-5 to 0-8.
Jolted to life they put Galway to the sword, outscoring them by 2-7 to 0-3 from that point to secure their place in the last eight.
Galway will reflect on the chances that slipped away. After finishing the first half with four unanswered scores — points from Adrian Varley and Paul Conroy along with two Gary Sice frees — to go in in level, they had a chance to turn the screw early in the second half.
Donegal still looked out of sorts as Murphy, McBrearty and Martin McElhinney all passed up simple chances.
But Galway were every bit as wasteful and Varley might have gone for goal instead of firing over Paul Durcan’s bar. That point nudged them into the lead but Conroy missed an easy free to put his side two ahead.
Murphy equalised moments later and then kicked an inspirational score that made a mockery of any pre-match fitness concerns, with man of the match Odhran MacNiallias adding a point of his own in between the two.
The tide had turned. Donegal cemented their midfield dominance and it was the direct approach that bore dividends on the hour mark. McFadden flighted a ball towards the edge of the large parallelogram, Murphy nudged it on, and the lively McHugh was on hand to finish, before Toye came off the bench to ice the cake with Donegal’s third.
Scorers for Donegal: Ryan McHugh, Paddy McBrearty 1-1 each, Colm McFadden 0-4, Odhran MacNiallais, Michael Murphy (1f) 0-3 each, Christy Toye 1-0.
Scorers for Galway: Gary Sice 0-4 (4f), Adrian Varley 0-2, Tom Flynn, Paul Conroy, Damien Comer (1f), Danny Cummins, Shane Walsh 0-1 each.
Donegal
1 Paul Durcan (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
2. Paddy McGrath (Ardara)
3. Neil McGee (Gweedore)
4. Eamon McGee (Gweedore)
5. Ryan McHugh (Kilcar)
7. Frank McGlynn (Glenfin)
17. Eamonn Doherty (St Eunan’s)
8. Neil Gallagher (Glenswilly)
14. Michael Murphy (Glenswilly)
21. Hugh McFadden (Killybegs)
11. Odhrán Mac Niallais (Gweedore)
12. Mark McHugh (Kilcar)
13. Pádraig McBrearty (Kilcar)
19. Martin O’Reilly (Sean Mac Cumhaill’s)
15. Colm McFadden (Naomh Michael)
Substitutes:
6. Anthony Thompson for McGee (HT)
9. Martin McElhinney for O’Reilly (HT)
18. Declan Walsh for McGrath (black card, 51)
22. Leo McLoone for McBrearty (54)
10. Christy Toye for H McFadden (68)
20. David Walsh for C McFadden (70+1)
Galway
1. Brian O’Donoghue (Claregalway)
2. Johnny Duane (St James)
3. Finian Hanley (Salthill/Knocknacarra)
4. Cathal Sweeney (Killanin)
5. Gareth Bradshaw (Moycullen)
6. Gary O’Donnell (Tuam Stars)
7. Liam Silke (Corofin)
8. Fiontán Ó Curraoin (Micheál Breathnach)
9. Thomas Flynn (Athenry)
10. Gary Sice (Corofin)
11. Paul Conroy (St James, capt)
12. Michael Lundy (Corofin)
14. Damien Comer (Annaghdown)
13. Adrian Varley (Cortoon Shamrocks)
15. Danny Cummins (Claregalway)
Substitutes:
22. Patrick Sweeney for Conroy (57)
26. Shane Walsh for Varley (57)
21. Peadar Óg Ó Griofa for Cummins (63)
17. Sean Denvir for Lundy (67)
24. Enda Tierney for Sice (69)
20. Micheal Martin for Flynn (69)
Referee: Eddie Kinsella (Laois)
