The Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final witnessed Donegal’s triumphant 4-11 over Derry’s 0-17. All through the initial season, no one had an inkling of the tactics that Jim McGuinness had tucked away, least of all it being an unexpected, uncanny ambush. With the advantage of three goals coming directly from far-reaching kick-outs, Donegal outriders on cue to pounce on the loose ball, they established their win – a sight that left Derry’s goalkeeper, Odhran Lynch, in an embarrassing position, not an uncommon scene in a game helmed by McGuinness.
If you’re curious about Donegal’s approach, then consider this – Ciaran Thompson, despite wearing jersey number 32 instead of 8 due to a pre-game mishap, stood at centre-forward with blistering confidence. Their arrival at Celtic Park was marked by unwavering assurance, a sentiment juxtaposing Derry’s reputation as the reigning team in Ulster.
For Derry, such a game, though a loss, served as a grounding experience, especially after their victory over the Dubs. And, despite all the praise heaped on Shane McGuigan, being compared with David Clifford and Con O’Callaghan, it didn’t really serve any purpose when Derry struggled to get him the ball.
Notably, it was Mickey Harte’s squad dictating the initial part of the game. Donegal took its time, not registering a decent pass till the seventh minute, content to watch Derry keeping possession. The first point came from Ethan Doherty, followed closely by Paul Cassidy marking in the sixth minute, giving them a two-point lead which reflected their ball possession.
But Donegal wasn’t shaken. Their first scoring attempt nearly resulted in a goal with Caolán McGonagle’s attempt deflected at the last moment by Lynch. Spurred by the near-miss, they maintained their momentum. Ryan McHugh emerged as the star, outshining Ciarán McFaul with his first score and adding another within two minutes. By the time the first quarter was over, Donegal had surged ahead with a 0-4 to Derry’s 0-3.
The turning point of the game arrived. Derry’s usual aggressiveness was evident on Donegal’s kick-out throughout the match, and Brendan Rodgers was able to deflect a long kick from Shaun Patton. The ball was immediately intercepted by McHugh. Lynch had moved up to provide numbers in the middle, which resulted in Derry suffering a shortage in a critical position on the pitch.
As Donegal advanced like a battalion ready for battle, Lynch fell back quickly but not quickly enough, as it proved. Dara Ó Baoill took a minute to find his mark and skillfully chipped over Lynch, taking the visiting team to a four point advantage.
The game was truly underway. Ethan Doherty, a standout performer for Derry, swiftly answered with a score. Oisin Gallen successfully made a freekick, Paul Cassidy responded with an effortless display of skill, and the atmosphere was charged. Doherty’s third point of the game in the 32nd minute kept Derry within reach, trailing Donegal 1-6 to 0-7.
At this point, Mickey Harte brought fresh legs from the bench, introducing Gareth McKinless and Niall Toner to regain momentum. Both made immediate impact, McKinless assisting Doherty’s score and Toner drawing a foul which allowed McGuigan an easy kick-over. As the half-time whistle by David Gough sounded, Donegal held a slim lead of 1-7 to 0-9.
Then history repeated itself. Donegal’s second goal was even simpler than their first. Aaron Doherty tapped down Patton’s long kick to Ó Baoill, setting off a sprint for the goal. Lynch reacted faster this time, reaching the ball. Unfortunately, while diving back into his net, his touch guided the ball into the net.
For the first occasion during the year, Derry were confronted with their own vulnerabilities. Donegal’s intensity was escalating noticeably. A point was carved out by Niall O’Donnell from another Patton kick-off, subsequently elevating McGuinness’s side to a lead of 2-8 to 0-9. Although Brendan Rodgers secured another point promptly afterwards, the decisive blow wasn’t far off.
Once more, Donegal exploited unguarded territory on the right side of Derry’s defence. Shane O’Donnell gained possession 30 metres away, and seeing Chrissy McKaigue before him, chose to test the endurance of the seasoned Derry player. Dodging inside him while shouldering past, Shane left McKaigue with no alternative but to commit a foul. Oisin Gallen executed the resulting penalty, bringing the score to 3-8 to 0-10 as the 44th minute approached.
How could Derry retaliate? They had a patchy initial response. A black card was given to Niall O’Donnell, following the penalty, assumedly for dissent. During the subsequent 10 minutes in which he was benched, Derry outscored their guests 0-3 to 0-0. Lachlan Murray, McKinless and McGuigan (a free kick) narrowed the gap back to four points. With fifteen minutes remaining, it seemed potentially within reach for Harte’s team.
Then it occurred once more. Donegal had, by then, replaced their goalkeeper with Gavin Mulreany in place of Shaun Patton. Another Lynch-assisted interruption led to the ball going loose and Donegal grabbing possession. Freshly substituted Jamie Brennan was the one to convert this opportunity into a goal. The end of the match was sealed.
The Derry team was made up of Odhran Lynch, Conor McCluskey, Chrissy McKaigue who scored one point, Diarmuid Baker, Conor Doherty who also scored one point, Eoin McEvoy, Padraig McGrogan, Conor Glass, and Brendan Rogers who scored two points. Others included Ethan Doherty with four points, Ciaran McFaul, Paul Cassidy who marked two scores, Niall Loughlin, Shane McGuigan with four points inclusive of two frees, and Lachlan Murray who added a point.
Substitutes for Derry were Niall Toner with a point coming on for Loughlin in the 28th minute, Gareth McKinless debuting with a point for McGrogan in the 29th minute, Emmet Bradley for Murray in the 50th, Donncha Gilmore for McKaigue in the 57th, and finally Eunan Mulholland for McFaul in the 66th minute.
The Donegal side featured Shaun Patton, Mark Curran, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan who added a point to their tally, Ryan McHugh with two points, Caolan McGonagle, Shane O’Donnell, Ciaran Thompson who scored a point, and Michael Langan. In addition, they had Ciaran Moore and Niall O’Donnell each scoring a point, and Daire Ó Baoill who debuted a brilliant performance with two goals and a point. The line-up was completed with Jason McGee, Oisin Gallen who added four points of which one was a penalty and two were frees and one 45, and Aaron Doherty.
The Donegal substitutes comprised Gavin Mulreany replacing Patton at the 56th minute, Jamie Brennan who scored a goal in for A Doherty in the 57th minute, Patrick McBrearty with one point from a free for O’Donnell in the 59th minute, and Odhran Doherty replacing McGee in the 66th minute. The match was overseen by David Gough from Meath.