Donegal just about hold off Tyrone at fog-engulfed Healy Park
Donegal had breezed past Armagh’s youngsters last Wednesday night with considerable ease but there was no doubt this was going to be a much stiffer test
Donegal secured a second McKenna Cup win on Sunday in Omagh holding off a determined Tyrone second-half fightback.
Tyrone 1-10 Donegal 0-15
Jim McGuinness’ men bossed the majority of the first-half but only had a five-point cushion to show for that superiority at the break. With a blanket of thick fog falling on Healy Park at the midpoint, this one looked in real jeopardy.
But the match officials, congregating around the middle, eventually decided to play on and both sides did reappear. And it was Tyrone that came roaring back into contention.
Donegal had breezed past Armagh’s youngsters last Wednesday night with considerable ease but there was no doubt this was going to be a much stiffer test.
Still, the visitors opened really brightly when, in blinding winter glare, Peadar Mogan and Patrick McBrearty, from a free, nudged Donegal two up inside the first three minutes.
Soon after, a fine piece of link-up play where Oisin Gallen and Ryan McHugh were heavily involved, forged the chance for Jamie Brennan to get in on goal. And while the Buncdoran man did well to beat Niall Morgan, the retreating Nathan McCarron cleared off his own line.
Tyrone were off the mark on ten minutes as Brian Kennedy cut in along the endline before fisting over Shaun Patton’s crossbar.
Approaching 20 minutes Donegal - who were getting in behind Tyrone’s defence frequently - again raided through the middle as McHugh and Moore combined on this occasion. With Brennan off the Eunan’s man’s shoulder, he took over at just the right time and also fisted over.
Donegal then increased their lead out to five as McBrearty landed another close-range free while Brennan added a second to leave it 0-6 to 0-1.
Tyrone stemmed the tide on 23 minutes as the visitors’ uninterrupted scoring burst of four was severed by Darragh Canavan.
A porous Red Hand rearguard was again exposed as Jason McGee just blazed over with the big Cloughaneely man looking to rattle the net. Donegal again turned over Morgan’s kick out and, winning a free, McBrearty claimed his third of the afternoon.
Donegal’s intensity and desire to hunt and press was again evident as McBrearty was next to strip the hosts of possession and with Morgan committed, the counter was on.
Brendan McCole led that charge but his ‘give and go’ with Michael Langan broke down at the vital moment as the latter put a little too much on his return as McCole closed in on goal.
A brilliant Michael McKernan clip from distance left it 0-8 to 0-3 but with Odhran Doherty landing once more for Donegal, six points again split the teams four minutes out from half-time.
On the edge of that short whistle, Peter Harte registered from a free to leave it 0-9 to 0-4 at the changeover. Given Donegal’s absolute dominance in that same period, the hosts would have been content enough to exit just five off the pace at 0-9 to 0-4.
With visibility deteriorating dramatically during the break because of fog, Tyrone acclimatised better on the resumption and with Canavan landing twice, either side of a Peter Harte free, Donegal were reeled in to within two at 0-9 to 0-7.
With it now close to impossible to make out the action from the vantage point of the pressbox, Canavan posted a fifth Tyrone over on the trot and, on 45 minutes, we now had a one-point game.
A rattled Donegal finally found some degree of composure as Gallen landed a free to open Donegal’s second-half account - a full 12 minutes in.
With the fog beginning to clear, Donegal also seemed to find their previous and impressive gear as Gallen’s snap hit the mark to leave it 0-11 to 0-8.
However, a fired up Tyrone responded with a brace of their own as Niall Devlin and Lorcan McGarrity both landed. Donegal, turning Tyrone over around the middle third again, raided forward with replacement Oisin Caulfield leaving it 0-12 to 0-10.
On 59 minutes, Tyrone spectacularly hit the front for the very first time when Ciaran Daly slapped home from close range.
A Gallen free squared it before a Shane O’Donnell effort again tipped the pendulum Donegal’s way. And in the dying moments Donegal dug in and held on as second-half difference-maker Gallen lamped the final point of the game.
Tyrone scorers: Darragh Canavan 0-4,3f; Ciaran Daly 1-0; Peter Harte 0-2,2f; Brian Kennedy 0-1; Michael McKernan 0-1; Niall Devlin 0-1; Lorcan McGarrity 0-1,1m.
Donegal scorers: Paddy McBrearty 0-3,3f; Oisin Gallen 0-4,2f; Jamie Brennan 0-2; Odhran Doherty 0-1; Shane O’Donnell 0-2,1m; Peadar Mogan 0-1; Jason McGee 0-1; Oisin Caulfield 0-1.
Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Conall Devlin, Nathan McCarron, Aidan Clarke; Tarlach Quinn, Michael McKernan, Niall Devlin; Brian Kennedy, Aodhan Donaghy; Dalaigh Jones, Peter Harte, James Donaghy; Conor Cush, Darragh Canavan, Seanie O’Donnell.
Subs: Conn Kilpatrick for Jones and Cormac Quinn for McCarron (both h/t); Ben Cullen for Donaghy and Lorcan McGarrity for Cush (both 47), Ciaran Daly for Donaghy (56), Tiernan Quinn for Canavan (58), Steve Donaghy and James Garrity for Quinn and Harte (both 69).
Donegal: Shaun Patton; Mark Curran, Brendan McCole, Kevin McGettigan; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Peadar Mogan; Jason McGee, Michael Langan; Shane O’Donnell, Odhran Doherty, Ciarán Moore; Paddy McBrearty, Oisin Gallen, Jamie Brennan.
Subs: Ciaran Thompson for J McGee, Oisin Caulfield for O Doherty (both 45), Luke McGlynn for Brennan (53), Sean Martin for Shane O’Donnell (60), Jeaic Mac Ceallbhuí for McHugh (66), Stephen McMenamin for McCole (67), Aaron Doherty for Moore (69).
Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh).