Derry claim league title as Dublin finally run out of escape acts

Allianz National Football League final: Derry 3-18 Dublin 2-21 (AET: Derry win 3-1 on penalties)

A day with many questions answered and some answers questioned ended with an Allianz Football League triumph for Derry and veteran manager Mickey Harte, who has now taken charge of counties winning all four divisional titles.

Derry, back-to-back Ulster champions, came to Croke Park having lost big matches at the venue in the past two years. There would have been inquests over this one had they not landed it.

They had Dublin beaten twice, over the course of the final — once in normal time and then in extra time — but the All-Ireland champions refused to let go and summoned four unanswered points to force extra time and a last-minute goal, finished smartly by Greg McEneaney in a teeming goalmouth.

Asked had it been a relief finally to take the scalp of a top team in Croke Park, Harte replied that it was a recognition of his team’s quality.

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“While this isn’t an All-Ireland, as in the ‘Sam Maguire’ kind of affair, it’s good for a team that five years ago played against Leitrim in the Division Four Final. That is serious progress to come from there. I’d have felt they never were a Division Four team. They had the quality to be not in that division, but they found themselves there.”

The match had changed course in the third quarter. Until then, Dublin had control albeit in a tight contest but two Derry goals in four minutes meant that they were from then on, the chasers.

Shane McGuigan had started well, landing the first two scores before Tom Lahif and Con O’Callaghan, from a free, equalised. McGuigan had persecuted Dublin in the divisional match in Celtic Park and again he was a menace although unusually, he didn’t top-score for Derry.

That honour went to Man of the Match Eoin McEvoy, with a startling 2-2 for a centre back, which maintained the team’s trend of striking goals from the back: eight — or half the Derry total — have been scored by defenders.

Harte paid tribute.

“Today he cut loose, put that attacking end on to his game. Probably playing full back he didn’t get as many chances to go up the field as that, but he had him at six today and it certainly turned out a very good move for us.”

Dublin played their way into the lead in the second quarter. Colm Basquel driving the ball into the Hill goal after Cian Murphy had contested with Odhran Lynch. Murphy, a goal scorer the previous week against Tyrone, again pressed up from corner back at every opportunity — getting fouled for the equalising free at the end of normal time after Donncha Gilmore was turned over from then kick out.

Nor did he spare his defensive duties and made a couple of alert interventions to block attacks.

Level at half-time, 0-10 to 1-7, the match lurched in the 40th minute just as Dublin looked to have put some distance on the scoreboard with a point from Scully and Murphy.

First, Eoin Murchan conceded a penalty for a push on Ethan Doherty, which McGuigan converted. Four minutes later, McEvoy got loose behind the Dublin defence after a Derry kick out and calmly picked his spot for 2-10 to 1-10.

It was proving a difficult match for Brian Fenton who had been in such good form and it was he who lost the ball on that occasion. Derry’s centrefield is reckoned the best in the country but the Raheny player is similarly regarded as the best individual in the position.

On this occasion, Dublin were outgunned by Brendan Rogers who marked Fenton for the afternoon and captain Conor Glass who scored two points. To put the tin hat on it, Fenton was red-carded at the end of extra time but the decision given for an aggressive push on Eunan Mulholland looked harsh.

The match bounced around with that sort of a margin, the All-Ireland champions getting close only for Derry to pull away. Harte’s team had several goal opportunities, which came to nothing. Paul Cassidy drove just wide and Murchan took Ethan Doherty’s shot off the line.

Dublin made up a four-point deficit in the last 10 minutes of normal time, with points from replacement Paddy Small, Sean McMahon, Ross McGarry and finally the 75th-minute O’Callaghan free they survived into extra time.

There were starring roles for replacements on either side as Niall Toner for Derry and Dublin’s Killian O’Gara with 0-2 each kept the match evenly balanced.

McEvoy’s second goal, well laid on by Cormac Murphy should have finished the argument halfway through extra time but McEneaney’s late intervention sent it to penalties.

Dublin captain O’Callaghan had his first miss of the afternoon with the opening kick and Dublin never really recovered. McGuigan, Glass and Ethan Doherty scored whereas Lorcan O’Dell had his shot saved by Lynch and Tom Lahiff hit the post.

It had taken Derry an age but they got there for a first league title since 2008.

DERRY: O Lynch; C McCluskey, C McKaigue, D Baker; C Doherty (0-1), E McEvoy (2-2), P McGrogan; C Glass (0-2, 1 45), B Rogers (0-1); E Doherty (0-1), C McFaul, P Cassidy; N Loughlin (0-2), S McGuigan (1-4, 1-0p, 0-2f), L Murray (0-3).

Subs: G McKinless for McGrogan (half-time), N Toner (0-2) for McKinless (53 mins), C Murphy for Loughlin (66 mins), D Gilmore for Cassidy (70 mins), E Bradley for Murray (78 mins), D Cassidy for McKaigue (81 mins), E Mulholland for C Doherty (88 mins),

DUBLIN: E Comerford; C Murphy (0-2), E Murchan, S McMahon (0-1); J Small, B Howard (0-1), T Lahiff (0-2), B Fenton, K McGinnis (0-1); R McGarry (0-2), C Kilkenny, S Bugler (0-1); C Basquel (1-1), C O’Callaghan (capt; 0-5f), N Scully (0-1).

Subs: P Mannion (0-1, free) for McGinnis (53 mins), L O’Dell for Scully (57 mins), P Small (0-1) for Basquel (57 mins), K O’Gara (0-2) for McGarry (70 mins), C O’Connor for McMahon (half-time, extra time), G McEneaney (1-0) for Bugler (87 mins),

Referee: C Lane (Cork).