Deadly Donegal storm Derry's citadel with four-goal salvo

A day for the ages in the Maiden city as Daire Ó Baoill's brace of goals announced Jim McGuinness's arrival back to the senior football championship in some style.

Donegal had seven points to spare as Ó Baoill's double, Oisin Gallen's penalty and Jamie Brennan's grace note dethroned Derry as Ulster champions.

In front of a 14,714 sell-out at Celtic Park, the summer sun kept a watching brief above the Foyle on an evening when Donegal defied the odds; aided, it must be said, by a wandering Derry goalkeeper in Odhran Lynch who was caught out for three of the Donegal goals.

Yet, make no mistake: This ought to rank among McGuinness's finest wins as the Donegal manager.

Consider that Derry - the defending Ulster champions, remember – arrived here billed as genuine contenders for Sam Maguire having wrapped up a first Division 1 title in 16 years when beating Dublin at Croke Park.

Donegal, in spite of winning Division 2 and showing real forward momentum since McGuinness's second coming was announced, still ranked as something of an unknown given the Glenties man's penchant for pulling off a master-stoke.

In this, his 25^th Championship outing in the role, McGuinness helped Donegal deliver a performance and result to match.

The old theatre on the Lone Moor Road was heaving from mid-afternoon. Derry great Joe Brolly once described Celtic Park as a 'citadel for us'. “Very, very atmospheric,” he added at the time.

Donegal stormed the citadel here, spurred by Ó Baoill's clinical double.

After taking a little time to feel their way into the tie, Donegal reeled off three points in swift succession, McHugh beautifully curling over a brace that sandwiched a fine point off the boot of Ó Baoill.

Derry were already looking rattled when McHugh and Ó Baoill combined for a golden goal.

McHugh picked up the break from a raking kick-out by Shaun Patton and sent Ó Baoill on his way.

With Odhran Lynch, Derry's 'sweeper keeper', gone from his sentry, Ó Baoill made ground and the Gaoth Dobhair man delightfully lobbed the helplessly-backtracking net-minder.

Up went the decibels and Donegal led by four, 1-4 to 0-3.

McHugh and Ó Baoill returned having missed the Division 2 League final win over Armagh 20 days beforehand.

Despite having been named to start, Donegal captain Patrick McBrearty was not deemed to have sufficiently recovered. Although the Kilcar man took the pre-match toss, he began with a watching brief from the front row of the Tommy Mellon Stand.

Ethan Doherty, Paul Cassidy and Conor Doherty – whose father, Neil, hails from Glen village in north Donegal – posted the early Derry points, with Donegal's ledger opened by Oisin Gallen's '45 in the ninth minute.

A familiar peak-capped figure stood 30 yards from McGuinness. In his first instalment as the Donegal manager, Harte was a regular foe.

His Tyrone were Ulster champions, the kingpins who he spoke of many nights in Castlefin, where they trained in those pre-Donegal GAA Centre days.

Derry landed a coup and sent a seismic tremor around the GAA world in appointing Harte last autumn.

Fate has a funny sense of humour at times and it felt almost inevitable that October's draw pitted the near neighbours against one another at the opening fence.

Shook by Ó Baoill's major, the hosts were back to within a point by the time the tunes of Banna Cheoil Chloich Cheann Fhaola from west Donegal filled the Derry air a the interval – their notes were as impeccable as Jason McGee's performance - when Donegal were 1-7 to 0-9 in front.

Donegal, with Peadar Mogan and Ciaran Moore on target with excellent points, held sway in spite of a Derry fightback in often-frenetic surroundings.

With barely 150 seconds gone in part two, Ó Baoill repeated his trick. Again, Patton – who was forced off with a leg injury in the second half - provided the launchpad.

The ball was touched into Ó Baoill's path and the old 'fool me once, shame on you . . .' maxim was surely ringing in Lynch's ears as he failed to keep out Ó Baoill's second.

Ten minutes later, after Shane O'Donnell was hauled to the floor, Gallen coolly converted a penalty to put Donegal seven in front, 3-8 to 0-10.

With McBrearty ready to enter, Donegal were forced into a brief rethink when Niall O'Donnell was black-carded.

Lachlan Murray, Shane McGuigan and Gareth McKinless chipped away at the Donegal lead and the evening was finely poised when Brennan twisted the knife.

Lynch was caught in No Man's Land again and Brennan was the grateful recipient. The Bundoran man arrowed to goal and finished high into the Brandywell End net.

Derry notched three late points and Donegal sub Odhran Dohery was black-carded in the closing stages; mere footnotes in a tale of some significance for Donegal.

Derry scorers: Ethan Doherty, Shane McGuigan (2f) 0-4 each; Paul Cassidy (1m), Brendan Rogers 0-2 each; Chrissy McKaigue, Conor Doherty, Lachlan Murray, Gareth McKinless 0-1 each

Donegal scorers: Daire Ó Baoill 2-1; Oisin Gallen (1-0pen, 3f) 1-3; Jamie Brennan 1-0; Ryan McHugh 0-2; Ciaran Moore, Peadar Mogan, Ciaran Thompson, Niall O'Donnell, Patrick McBrearty (f), 0-1 each.

Derry: Odhran Lynch; Conor McCluskey, Chrissy McKaigue, Diarmuid Baker; Conor Doherty, Eoin McEvoy, Padraig McGrogan; Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers; Ethan Doherty, Ciaran McFaul, Paul Cassidy; Niall Loughlin, Shane McGuigan, Lachlan Murray. Subs: Niall Toner for Loughlin (27), Gareth McKinless for McGrogan (28), Emmett Bradley for Murray (52), Donncha Gilmore for McKaigue (57), Eunan Mulholland for McFaul (66).

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Mark Curran, Ciaran Moore, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Shane O'Donnell; Ciaran Thompson, Michael Langan; Brendan McCole, Niall O'Donnell, Daire O Baoill; Jason McGee, Oisin Gallen, Aaron Doherty. Subs: Gavin Mulreany for Patton (56), Jamie Brennan for Doherty (57), Patrick McBrearty for N.O'Donnell (58), Odhran Doherty for McGee (66), Kevin McGettigan for Curran (69).

Referee: David Gough (Meath).