Concluding the Division Two championship, Donegal emerged winners with a slim upper hand on Armagh, the score standing at 15-14. The final ended with Aaron Doherty bagging the victorious point during a highly tense final stage. This victory comes a decade after Donegal’s bitter defeat to Monaghan in the same tournament, this time with Jim McGuinness at the helm in his second tenure as manager for Donegal.
Setting the tone in the first quarter, Armagh utilised a favourable wind at their backs. However, it was Donegal who took the lead within the first half minute, initiated by Oisin Gallen. Kicking off line-up changes in both teams, Jarly Og Burns entered for Armagh and opened their scoring within the first seven minutes. Despite some misfires from both sides, the quarter concluded with a tie, knotted by Conor Turbitt’s free kick for Armagh after Ciaran Thompson had given Donegal an upper hand.
As the game headed into the second quarter, Turbitt’s second free momentarily positioned Armagh in the lead, only for the score to be tied for the sixth time at the 31st minute. Erratic aim from Donegal marked the quarter, with their fifth wide. Armagh’s Rory Grugan claimed a worthy score, with Thompson equating for Donegal, subsequently outpacing to give Donegal a lead just before the halftime.
Continuing the energy from the first half, Donegal jumped ahead during the third quarter, Niall O’Donnel netting a significant point to give them some room. This momentary widened gap was soon contracted by Turbitt’s comeback point for Armagh with Thompson and corner-back Shane O’Donnell then expanding Donegal’s lead again. Bringing in Rian O’Neill, Armagh attempted to bounce back, only to face Niall O’Donnell’s strong point which, in turn, widened the scoring gap by four in favour of Donegal.
Indeed, the match was a thrilling northern contest at Croke Park that saw Donegal clinching the Division Two trophy.
In the final quarter, O’Neill had his first significant moment in the game when he registered Armagh’s fourth wide in the second half. Armagh then began to apply pressure, securing a point following a successful Rory Grugan free-kick in the 62nd minute. Grugan secured another point two minutes later, narrowing the score difference to two points leading into the final six minutes of play. As the tension grew, Turbitt scored reducing the deficit to only one point. Armagh gathered momentum, scoring five straight points, thanks to Stefan Campbell and Oisin O’Neill coming off the bench, which gave them a one-point lead. A thrilling finale ensued with Donegal’s Caolon McGonagle equalising the scores. Subsequently, a heated exchange of scores took place between Gallen and Oisin Conaty before Aaron Doherty scored the match-winning point three minutes into additional time.
The final score stood at Armagh 0-14, Donegal 0-15.
ARMAGH TEAM: B Hughes, P Burns, A McKay, P McGrane, G McCabe, A Forker, D McMullan, C Mackin, B Crealey, J Og Burns (0-2), R Grugan (0-4, one free-kick), J McElroy, C Turbitt (0-4, two frees), A Murnin, O Conaty (0-2). Substitutes: S Campbell (0-1) for Forker (41 mins), R O’Niall for McElroy (48 mins), O O’Neill (0-1) for McMullen (60 mins), J Duffy for Mackin (69 mins).
DONEGAL TEAM: S Patton, M Curran, C Moore, C McColgan, K McGettigan, C McGonagle (0-1), S O’Donnell (0-1), J McGee, M Langan, P Mogan (0-1), C Thompson (0-5, one free-kick), L McGlynn, A Doherty (0-1), O Gallen (0-3, one mark), N O’Donnell (0-3).
The substitutions made were: McCaulfield came in for McGettigan and Doherty replaced McGlynn, both during the interval. McFadden took McGee’s place at 41 minutes into the game. MacCeallabhu stepped in for McColgan at the 60-minute mark, while McGuinness was put in place of O’Donnell 61 minutes into the match. The match was officiated by Referee Paul Faloon from Down.