Donegal pay the price for 21 wides

Donegal's dire shooting rather than anything wonderful from Galway ensured an improbable victory for the visitors to Ballybofey. Galway, playing simple, direct football, delivered a lesson in score-taking to the profligate home team, who had 21 wides. Galway had four.

Donegal dominated the first half, yet ended it one point in arrears, 0-4 to 0-3. Their confidence in front of the posts fiercely shaken, Donegal's enthusiasm waned as Galway continued to profit from virtually every attacking opportunity they created.

Donegal failed to score for 38 minutes, their third point coming on 17 minutes, their fourth on 55. By then the game was over as a contest.

Galway knocked over second-half points from Padraig Joyce (three), John Donnellan (two), Declan Meehan and Paul Clancy to lead 0-11 to 0-3. Tellingly, it was one of four Donegal substitutes, Johnny McCafferty, who was to prompt an ironic cheer from dejected Donegal fans in the attendance of 3,000 when he pointed with his first kick of the game to end Donegal's scoring famine. Fellow substitutes Martin Caulfield (two) and Eamonn Sweeney also hit late, face-saving points for a by-now despondent Donegal.

With little or no wind and a drying surface which held up well, those excuses often favoured to explain poor performances cannot be offered. It may take a reasonable side to create 21 scoring chances, but Donegal were beaten by double scores by a Galway team who started just five of the side which won last year's All-Ireland final. Donegal continued to search for a midfield replacement for Anthony Molloy. At 6ft 4ins, 18-year-old Eamonn Sweeney, a second half substitute, may offer a long-term solution, but in the shorter term Sweeney needs time and Donegal's lack of clean ball winners at midfield and an horrendous day at the office for their first choice forwards left Galway easy winners.

GALWAY: P Lally; T Meehan, K Donnellan, R Fahy; D Meehan (0-2), J Divilly, E Daly; J Bergin, S O Domhnaill; P Clancy (0-2), K Comer, L Colleran; J Donnellan (0-3), P Joyce (0-4, two frees), N Finnegan (0-2, one free). Subs: M Colleran for Comer (38 mins); S Mitch- ell (0-1) for Finnegan (67 mins); R Doyle for T Meehan (68 mins). DONEGAL: T Blake; M Crossan, R Sweeney, D Diver; N McCready, O Reid, N McGinley; M Coll, J McGuinness; M Hegarty, J Gildea (0-1), S Carr; J Gallagher (0-1), A Sweeney (0-1), B Devenney. Subs: M Caulfield (0-2) for Gallagher (half-time); B McLaughlin for Hegarty (half-time); E Sweeney (0-1) for Coll (54 mins); J McCafferty (0-1) for Devenney 60. Referee: J Bannon (Longford).