Donegal eye Ulster title 30.06.11
Ulster Senior Football Championship – semi final

Donegal...2-6 Tyrone...0-9 by Damian Dowds at St Tiernach’s Park, Clones (Photos: Evan Logan) DONEGAL defeated Tyrone on Sunday to qualify for their first Ulster final in five years. Two second half goals, the second in injury time from substitute Dermot Molloy, gave Donegal a three point win over a Tyrone side that was seeking their third successive Ulster title. The manner of the victory will have been pleasing to Donegal manager Jim McGuinness as his team showed maturity and concentration to stick to their guns even when it looked like Tyrone would annihilate them in the opening half hour. Mickey Harte’s experienced side started at a hundred miles an hour racing into a four point lead and leading by 0-6 to 0-1 after 26 minutes. Indeed, it could have been much worse for Donegal as Tyrone hit six wides by the half hour mark: they should have been much further in front before Donegal started their fightback. The introduction of substitute Michael Hegarty conincided with an improvement in Donegal’s all round play. Although the Kilcar veteran was guilty of dawdling and letting Stephen O’Neill in for Tyrone’s sixth point, he put in perhaps his best ever performance in a Donegal shirt: he intercepted Tyrone attacks, won a series of scorable frees and showed a range of passing that, when everything is taken into account, will surely secure him the number 11 shirt for the Ulster final versus Derry.

Donegal hit three points in the five minutes before half time to reduce the deficit to just two points, 0-6 to 0-4, but one particular incident in that period summed up Donegal’s hard working, never-say-die approach. Centre half back Anthony Thompson broke from defence but misplaced a pass to Frank McGlynn and Tyrone rushed down the field, working the ball to danger man Stephen O’Neill 20 metres from goal. The 2005 player of the year had goal on his mind, but Thompson was on his toe, getting down to block the shot and the danger was averted.

That block was as important as either goal Donegal scored in the second half. And when Kevin Cassidy scored an inspirational 40 yard point with the last kick of the half, Donegal went into the break knowing that they had absorbed the best shot that Tyrone could throw at them and, despite not having played well, trailed by only two points. Half time confidence was high in that Donegal could hardly play as badly again in the second 35, and so it proved. The second half was just two minutes old when Cassidy robbed Philip Jordan, soloed forward and played a diagonal ball into Michael Murphy. The Donegal captain, whose choice of footwear saw him slip and slide throughout the game, jab lifted the ball and hoisted the ball over the bar from the left wing.

Peter Harte responded with a 45m free, but the half forward, who had a decent game from open play, suffered terribly with his free taking duties after that, hitting two wides and dropping one short from scorable positions as the game hurtled towards its conclusion. Leo McLoone was introduced for Ryan Bradley ten minutes into the second half, and almost immediately picked up a yellow card for a head high challenge on Joe McMahon. McMahon, who had bottled up the threat posed by Michael Murphy until that point, retired from the match injured and was replaced by his brother Joe. Momentum was swinging Donegal’s way as the half progressed. Michael Hegarty drew another free in the 51st and Murphy had the easy task of tapping it over the bar when it was brought forward for dissent.

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