WHEN DUBLIN BEAT Donegal 0-8 to 0-6 in the 2011 All-Ireland semi-final, it was a contest that left the football world somewhere in the vacuum between fascinated or flabbergasted.
Dublin 1-10 Donegal 0-7
At Croke Park tonight, there wasn’t the same sense of forensic examination as Donegal – the 2016 variety – seemed to be frustrating their hosts well into the third quarter, but in the end Dublin proved patient and precise enough to claim the win.
Photo caption: Anthony Thompson of Donegal holds off Dublin’s John Small at Croke Park tonight in the Allianz League Division 1 clash. Photo: Dáire Brennam/ Sportsfile
Although there were heckles from the majority of the 20,340 in attendance early on, it was a game that Jim Gavin, the Dublin manager, will be content enough to have seen his side come through when their head was important as their feet.
Twenty minutes from time, Donegal were just a point down at 0-7 to 0-6 and had shown enough about themselves in the early stages of the second half to suggest that Dublin’s 100 per cent record in this year’s league might be under threat.
However, Michael Murphy, already booked, slid in on Brian Fenton on 53 minutes and some pulling and dragging followed. Match referee Conor Lane looked as though he was about to wave play on, however, on consultation with his linesman called over Murphy and James McCarthy.
The Dublin wing-back was given a second yellow for his retaliation in pushing Martin McElhinney and Murphy was handed a second yellow and the subsequent red.
From then on, Donegal struggled in possession and without the skipper had no apex to their attack. With Murphy they had a chance of winning but without him they showed they didn’t seem as though they did.
The final nail – the only goal – was hammered home by Philly McMahon four minutes from time when he slotted under Mark Anthony McGinley to concluded a sharp move that saw Paul Flynn nip the ball from Mark McHugh. Kevin McManamon then set up McMahon.
It was a sloppy concession and conclusion from Donegal, with Dublin keeping their eye on the ball for longer in the game of stares. The first half boos momentarily turned to cheers as the home support savoured their six-point lead.
In a first half that could best be described as tepid, it was Dublin who led by a single point at half-time, 0-5 to 0-4.
With McGinley, on his 26th birthday, taking up the goalkeeper’s position on his Donegal debut and Kieran Gillespie in from the start in the league for the first time, there was a sense of experimentation from Donegal.
Neil McGee didn’t make it past the warm-up.
And it could’ve started so well when – in the third minute – Odhrán MacNiallais flashed a ball into Eoin McHugh, who got the touch and the ball trundled towards the Davin End goal before Dublin goalkeeper Michael Savage scrambled back to save inches from the line.
Eleven minutes passed before either side scored, with Murphy opening it up with a fine effort on the left foot.
But the speed of turnover wasn’t at the level that might’ve been expected from Rory Gallagher’s Donegal and Dublin were winning the vast majority of the contested kick-outs.
Cormac Costello fired over a free – something that’s been a facet of the spring – and McManamon, who scored three points in all from play, was one of the few men who seemed capable of finding space.
Occasionally, you thought Donegal were just lulling Dublin – after all they’d done it before as the last visiting team to win at Croke Park in the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final.
From nowhere, they produced two attacks and scored through Eamon McGee and Rory Kavanagh to level it at 0-3 to 0-3 approaching the half-hour.
At one stage late in the half, Ryan McHugh made a trademark haring run forward but when he lifted his head 50 metres from goal in front of the Cusack Stand there was nobody ahead of him and the only place to go was back.
Ciarán Kilkenny then edged Dublin into their slender half-time lead.
At the start of the second half, again, Donegal showed semblances of evidence to show they might be planning a raid. There was more purpose to their attacking play and those forages came with more men in them. Two points – from Patrick McBrearty and MacNiallais – meant they’d gone from one down to one up.
The game was opening up a little and it seemed as though that was happening when Donegal chose it to. Dean Rock and then Paddy Andrews scored and Dublin were 0-7 to 0-6 up.
At that stage, it was just coming to the boil but the bust-up that resulted in Murphy and McCarthy’s sendings off changed the course of the contest as it had spilled over.
A bit like in 2011, Donegal didn’t do enough to win.
This year, they’ve had three straight wins in the top flight and now three straight losses. So there’s plenty to think about ahead of next Sunday’s clash with Ulster champions Monaghan in Castleblaney.
Dublin: Michael Savage; Philip McMahon (1-0), Johnny Cooper, David Byrne; James McCarthy, Eric Lowndes, John Small; Brian Fenton (0-1), Denis Bastick; Paul Flynn, Paddy Andrews (0-1), Ciarán Kilkenny (0-1); Cormac Costello (0-3, 2f), Kevin McManamon (0-3), Bernard Brogan. Subs: Dean Rock (0-1) for Brogan (41), Emmet Ó Conghaile for Bastick (45), Shane B Carthy and Michael Fitzsimons for Small and Lownes (54), Tomás Brady for Costello (59), Darren Daly for McManamon (70)
Donegal: Mark Anthony McGinley; Paddy McGrath, Eamon McGee (0-1), Kieran Gillespe; Ryan McHugh, Anthony Thompson, Karl Lacey; Rory Kavanagh (0-1), Hugh McFadden; Martin O’Reilly, Leo McLoone, Odhrán MacNiallais (0-1); Patrick McBrearty (0-3, 1f), Michael Murphy (0-1), Eoin McHugh. Subs: Mark McHugh for McGrath (41), Martin McElhinney for McLoone (45), Eoghan Ban Gallagher and Christy Toye for Thompson for H McFadden (59), Colm McFadden for Lacey (65), Michael Carroll for Kavanagh (70+4)
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
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