DUBLIN - 2-10 DONEGAL - 0-14: Notwithstanding all the talk about performance being more important than result, Tommy Lyons will be more than happy with this win.
The new Dublin manager saw his youthful charges dig a result out of the heavy, windy conditions at Parnell Park yesterday and get their Allianz Football League campaign off to a winning start.
It would have been particularly demoralising not to have won given the superior chances the home team created and the fact that Donegal were apparently restricted to scoring through Brendan Devenney - although the International Rules player made light of this responsibility with nine points.
Visiting manager Mickey Moran wasn't too happy with his team afterwards, but looked a little amused at the fact that they had come so close on the scoreboard.
Nonetheless, Dublin put in an encouraging performance with the thrust and variety of their virtually unknown attack particularly impressive. The team was particularly well served down the attacking spine with Declan Darcy returning to the centre back platform from which he had captained Leitrim to the Connacht title eight years ago.
His versatility, intelligence and discipline were praised by Lyons afterwards and the latter qualities gave the defence a focal point as well as guaranteeing some shrewd distribution.
Other points on the central diamond were the physique and graft of Darren Homan, well assisted by Darren Magee, and the powerful surge of Ciarán Whelan at centre forward. At the apex of all this effort was a very promising performance from John McNally at full forward.
His dead-ball kicking was accurate - albeit with the help of a considerable wind - but his general workrate and positioning also stood out. Unfortunately, he picked up a dead leg shortly after half-time and had to be replaced.
Neither side looked that happy on the heavy surface and the gusting wind played havoc with most of the players in each of the halves. Dublin played with it from the start and it facilitated the quick-transfer game that Lyons had promised to play.
In the corners, both Ray Cosgrove and Alan Brogan were lively and menacing and racked up more than half the team's scores between them.
One player who also deserves mention is Eoin Bennis. Something of a goalscoring machine in recent challenge matches, he didn't raise any flags yesterday but his movement on and off the ball was perceptive and clear-headed.
His transfer of the ball was precise and for someone less than statuesque, he also proved a handful in the air. Dubliners will follow eagerly his development as the year progresses.
Peadar Andrews, struggling for both match fitness and a genuine aptitude for the position, was beaten to nearly every ball between him and the Donegal full forward Devenney. In the second half, Coman Goggins switched and competed well initially before Devenney reasserted himself with a wonderful shot from nothing for a point in the 48th minute and went on the rampage again.
On the positive side, the right flank of David Henry and Paul Casey had feisty debuts at this level and John Gildea battled well at centrefield to establish a good supply to his main target man and, for good measure, just before the break flighted over a fine point from the left to leave only a point, 0-5 to 0-6, between the teams.
This didn't look enough, given the wind, but playing against it would have its advantages for Dublin. Space was less congested in the second half and just after the break this was exploited.
Shane Ryan had come on as a substitute and for a while lent a dynamic presence to the half forwards. His ball into Cosgrove was knocked down to Brogan who finished crisply for Dublin's first goal. Two further points from Cosgrove gave Dublin a commanding 1-8 to 0-6 lead.
Devenney burst into life and reeled off four points between the 48th and 55th minutes. With the match slipping away from them, Dublin found the perfect response.
Another well-worked move started by Homan ended with Cosgrove drawing Gerard McGill in the Donegal goal and slipping the ball to Jonny Magee - on as a replacement to lend his bulk and ballistic kicking to the attack. Television pictures suggest this constituted a square ball but Magee adjusted his position and drove home a goal.
Donegal responded well with Jimmy McGuinness (with a new mod look) and Adrian Sweeney cutting the deficit to two and despite a late flurry, they couldn't reduce it further.
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; D Henry, P Andrews, C Goggins (0-1); P Casey, D Darcy, B Cahill; D Homan, D Magee; J O'Connor, C Whelan (0-1), E Bennis; A Brogan (1-3), J McNally (0-2, one 45 and one free), R Cosgrove (0-3, one free). Subs: S Ryan for O'Connor (half -time), J Magee (1-0) for McNally (46 mins), C Murphy for D Magee (69 mins), J Gavin for Cosgrove (71 min).
DONEGAL: G McGill; P Campbell, E Doherty, P McGonagly; N McGinley, M Crossan, R Sweeney; J Gildea (0-1), P McGonigle; A Sweeney (0-1, a free), M Hegarty (0-1), D Diver; B Mclaughlin, B Devenney (0-9, four frees), J Gallagher. Subs: J McGuinness (0-1) for McGonigle (40 mins), C McFadden (0-1) for R Sweeney (46 mins), C Browne for McConagly (58 mins), A Gallagher for J Gallagher (60 mins), C Toye for B McLaughlin (70 mins).
Referee: M Ryan (Limerick).
Dublin ... 2-10
Donegal ... 0-14
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