DONEGAL AND MONAGHAN played out a thrilling 1-11 to 0-14 stalemate in Cavan on Saturday in their Ulster SFC semi-final, which will be replayed again this Saturday.
Donegal had Martin McElhinney sent off, but an Odhrán Mac Niallais goal – his third in two Championship games – proved vital. Christy Toye looked to have won it with a late fisted effort, but Conor McManus pulled the embers from the fire for Monaghan.
- Misfiring Donegal let a big chance slip
WHEN Rory Gallagher appeared before the assembled media in Breffni Park, he looked spent.
The Donegal manager had kicked every anxious ball in the unforgiving arena just minutes beforehand.
When Joe McQuillan called time, there was nothing to separate Donegal and Monaghan. They’d have to go again for a fifth Championship clash in four years.
“We’d be disappointed we didn’t see it out, there’s no doubt about that,” Gallagher said.
The game had looked gone when, with Donegal trailing 0-10 to 0-8, Martin McElhinney was sent off, but Odhrán Mac Niallais’ goal swung the pendulum back towards Donegal again.
And yet, Conor McManus’ late scores rescued the day for Monaghan and Donegal were left wondering: ‘What if?’
Michael Murphy was uncharacteristically off-cue with three missed chances from deadballs early in the second half and Patrick McBrearty curled another free wide of the target.
Kieran Gillespie was denied a debut goal by Rory Beggan and McBrearty had to settled for a point when he swivelled in a crowded goalmouth.
The good thing for Donegal is that they’re unlikely to be as imprecise in the replay, although Monaghan might say the same, given that they, like Donegal, had ten wides and one effort drop short.
[adrotate group=”53″]- Concession of frees proves costly
IN Donegal’s run to the All-Ireland final in 2012, they were at their most selfish. It was rare in those days to see Donegal concede a free inside what would be accepted as the ‘scoring zone’.
Some of the frees given against Donegal on Saturday evening by McQuillan were certainly of the cheap variety, but there has still been a big increase in the number given away by the Tir Chonaill men.
Conor McManus scored seven frees on Saturday, Conor McCarthy popped over another and there was a Kieran Hughes free early in the game that was screwed wide.
In games of such fine margins, to concede nine frees again could prove fatal.
“Monaghan worked a few frees, whether they were frees or not,” Gallagher mused afterwards.
“We were under serious pressure out there, Monaghan were in the ascendancy and players were maybe not making the decisions they could have. That’s what happened.”
[adrotate group=”43″]- Kieran Gillespie stands up to the test
THERE is more than a hint of Neil McGee about Kieran Gillespie so it was no surprise to those who know him that the youngster was undaunted handed the Donegal number 3 shirt on Saturday night.
It was Donegal’s first time without McGee for a Championship game in 11 years, the Gaoth Dobhair man having played each one of Donegal’s previous 51 SFC games.
Gillespie, also from Gaoth Dobhair, took it all in his stride, though, and it was perhaps a case of being too relaxed when it came to that moment early in the second half when he found himself eyeballing Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan. Gillespie was denied a debut goal, but could be happy with his first SFC performance.
“I thought Kieran Gillespie was top-class,” Rory Gallagher, the Donegal manager, enthused.
“He’s so laid-back, we really didn’t have any doubt about him. He’s got a clean bill of health this last while and he’s moving really well.”
He’d only played two Allianz Football League games before Saturday, but he was completely unfazed at being thrown in at the deep end.
[adrotate group=”54″]- Donegal make the most of the extra man again
FOR the second Championship game in a row, Donegal went down to 14 men at a critical stage of the game but, like they did against Fermanagh a fortnight previously after Neil McGee was sent off, Rory Gallagher’s team issued a fine response to going a man behind.
Martin McElhinney had been booked in the first half and was given a black card by Joe McQuillan around the three-quarters mark.
Donegal were in arrears at the time by two points, but they summonsed the perfect response and Odhrán Mac Niallais netted a goal from their next attack.
“I suppose their backs are to the wall and to be fair I thought we showed great heart and character,” Gallagher said.
“We were disappointed to lose Martin although we could argue with the black card and indeed the yellow earlier on.
“But we responded really well with the goal.”
[adrotate group=”46″]- McManus reminds us again of his class
IT IS perhaps a mark of Conor McManus’ undoubted class that Paddy McGrath could be content with a good display on Saturday night, with the Monaghan forward still managing eight points.
McGrath kept McManus to one point from play, the other seven all coming from frees.
McManus’ one score from play was the score of the game in the 40th minute, hooked over from a seemingly impossible position on the right flank.
When the nerves jangled most, McManus was ice cool in added time, kicking three frees, one of those from 50 metres and the other that pressurised last kick of the game to secure a draw for the Farney.
“That’s what we come to expect from Conor,” his manager, Malachy O’Rourke, said afterwards.
“He kicked some tremendous frees and it showed the mentality of him that he missed one out in the corner but he wanted to take the next one and the very last one from far out, a difficult one, he stood up to kick that one as well.”
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