Donegal crashed to a 15-point defeat to Galway at Markievicz Park and tamely head for the Championship’s exit door.
Donegal 0-14 Galway 4-17
The dark clouds that crept across the Sligo skies felt like the perfect backdrop as Rory Gallagher’s team were handed their coats and frogmarched to the gates .
For the first time since 2010, Donegal will not be in Croke Park for an All-Ireland quarter-final as their Championship shuddered to an abrupt halt as Galway soared to a quarter-final meeting with Kerry thanks to a brace of palmed goals by midfielder Johnny Heaney to sit alongside a penalty by Liam Silke.
In stoppage time, Danny Cummins rattled in a fourth Galway goal and the inquest following this, a defeat that was just a point away from the 16-point losses to Cavan in 1946 and Mayo in 2013, won’t be pleasant in Donegal.
The sight of Karl Lacey, on his knees and in tears, could be a pointer for what might follow in the months ahead.
Donegal had to play the last 23 minutes with just 13 men after Michael Murphy and Martin McElhinney were black carded. Murphy was lined in the 42nd minute and, though it was perhaps a tad harsh on the Donegal captain, the more concerning aspect was that Donegal had used their entire quota of six substitutes by that stage.
Donegal also had goalkeeper Mark Anthony McGinley black carded in the move that led to Liam Silke’s 25th minute goal from a penalty and McElhinney walked in the 48th minute.
Murphy sat dejected in the corner of the Donegal dugout by the time the big Donegal crowd in 10,564 attendance were streaming for the gates when Patrick McBrearty saw a 59th minute penalty saved by Bernard Power. McBrearty’s on-the-ground follow-up was kept out by Power, summing up Donegal’s evening of pain.
Galway had full-back Declan Kyne sent off after a push on Patrick McBrearty earned him a second yellow card, just two minutes after his first booking, but it hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things as Kevin Walsh’s men were home and hosed.
Galway had been the subject of some deep, searching interrogation around the Corrib after a damaging defeat to Roscommon in the Connacht final, having earlier dumped Mayo from the provincial race.
Walsh, himself on the receiving end of scrutiny in the west, brought goalkeeper Bernard Power, Armstong and Burke in as late call-ups to his selection – and the Tribesmen delivered an emphatic statement to kill off Donegal’s hopes of making it to Croke Park for a seventh successive All-Ireland quarter-final.
Armstrong and Burke were the central figures in the move that led to the opening Galway goal in the 18th minute. A quick transfer from Burke found Armstrong in a pocket of space and his deft ball to the rear was palmed home by midfielder Heaney.
The house collapsed for Donegal in the 25th minute.
A fumble by the omnipresent Murphy gave Thomas Flynn a passage to goal. Donegal ‘keeper McGinley tripped up the Galway attacker and Silke tucked the penalty past replacement goalkeeper Peter Boyle, with McGinley black-carded for his challenge.
Silke’s kick into Boyle’s bottom left corner left Galway staring into the abyss.
It would get worse still, though, as, in added time at the end of the opening period, as Heaney flicked home again, after Comer and Armstrong combined to get past the feeble Donegal rearguard.
Donegal were denied a free when Eoghan Ban Gallagher was taken down by Cathal Sweeney and Galway broke for Paul Conroy to squeeze a huge kick just inside Boyle’s upright to put Galway eight in front, but it would be stretching the narrative somewhat to term the incident a big turning point.
Boyle – who was in for his Senior Championship debut – saved from a tame Michael Daly shot, but Damien Comer was allowed get possession much too easily to get on the mark and Galway headed for the dressing rooms already thinking of a march down the Jones’ Road next Sunday.
In the second quarter, Galway outscored Donegal 3-5 to 0-2 and were eleven ahead at the interval.
The 3-9 to 0-7 scoreline on the neon numbers in the corner felt like the ghosts of 2010 returning to haunt the throngs from Donegal who were yearning for a statement from their men.
Instead, the roof caved in.
Donegal were wiped out at midfield, where Conroy and Heaney laid the platform for a forward line including Sean Armstrong and Ian Burke, who terrorised the Tir Chonaill rearguard.
Armstrong, with a free in the opening minute, and Shane Walsh, after turning neatly onto his left peg, shot Galway in front early on, but a quick double of Murphy frees had Donegal on an even keel again.
Donegal made two changes from the side that pulled the burning embers from the Pairc Tailteann fireplace a fortnight ago, when Patrick McBrearty’s last-gasp winner got Donegal a head in front at the tape with Jamie Brennan and Mark McHugh in for Ciarán Thompson and Martin O’Reilly.
McBrearty scored twice, either side of a Murphy free, to put Donegal ahead in the 16th minute.
McBrearty left Cathal Sweeney for dead to curl over and the Kilcar man nailed a majestic attempt from the stand side that swept his men in front.
It might have looked as if it was the very score to kick Donegal on but, in reality, it was quite the opposite.
Donegal: Mark Anthony McGinley; Caolan Ward, Kieran Gillespie, Neil McGee; Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Ryan McHugh, Paddy McGrath; Jason McGee, Michael Murphy (0-4, 3f, 1 ’45); Mark McHugh, Eoin McHugh, Frank McGlynn; Jamie Brennan, Hugh McFadden, Patrick McBrearty (0-6, 2f). Subs: Peter Boyle for McGinley (black card, 26), Michael Langan (0-1) for Brennan (35), Martin McElhinney (0-1) for McGlynn (35), Karl Lacey for Gillespie (half-time), Ciaran Thompson for McFadden (42), Martin O’Reilly (0-2) for E.McHugh (42).
Galway: Bernard Power; Eoghan Kerin, Declan Kyne, Cathal Sweeney; Gary O’Donnell (0-2), Gareth Bradshaw, Liam Silke (1-0, 1pen); Paul Conroy (0-1), Johnny Heaney (2-2); Thomas Flynn, Michael Daly (0-1), Seán Armstrong (0-6, 4f); Ian Burke (0-1), Damien Comer (0-1), Shane Walsh (0-1).
Subs: David Wynne for Sweeney (black card, 59), Eamonn Brannigan (0-2) for Walsh (60), Danny Cummins (1-0) for Daly (63), Michael Meehan for Comer (68), David Walsh for Bradshaw (70), Cillian McDaid for O’Donnell (70).
Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).
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