Donegal and Monaghan must do it all again after thrilling draw

Monaghan 0-14 Donegal 1-11

Boom! That thumping sound accompanying the final whistle of this perfectly turbulent Ulster football semi-final – neither team able to take the win on the incredibly frantic landing.

Instead it was left to Monaghan’s Conor McManus to force the replay with the last kick of the game, his 76th-minute free meaning they will go at each other again next weekend to decide who reaches the Ulster final.

Moments earlier it seemed Donegal substitute Christy Toye had punched over the winner, but then Monaghan refused to believe they were beaten, despite chasing the game for much of the closing quarter.

Indeed when Donegal were reduced to 14 men on 55 minutes – Martin McElhinney sent off on a second yellow card – and trailing by two points, it seemed the advantage was all Monaghan’s.

Only without giving Monaghan a chance to make the extra man count, Donegal hit them with a goal – that rarest of gifts between these two counties. Martin O’Reilly slipped the ball inside to Odhran MacNiallias, and although he’d squandered a few earlier scoring chances, buried his shot into the Monaghan goal – and they were up, 1-8 to 0-10.

A free from Patrick McBrearty, and a point from Eoin McHugh, extended Donegal’s advantage to 1-10 to 0-11, with six minutes left to play, and it seemed like Monaghan would simply run out of time.

They had the belief, however, two earlier frees from McManus, both also coming in those six minutes of added time, squaring the game again, but that final landing.

McManus was the hero for Monaghan, finishing with 0-8 (seven frees), but it all made for an utterly enthralling contest for the 16,287 attendance. It was their fourth straight championship bout, the previous three coming in Ulster finals. So just like the two top heavyweights of Ulster football, between them disputing the title for those last three years, they went at each other with ferocious intent, as if trying to ensure the game never actually went the distance.

Donegal, starting without suspended full back Neil McGee, settled in first – and fast. You know what they say about laying down a marker, and Donegal did exactly that – MacNiallais winning the throw-in, passing off to Karl Lacey, who promptly fired between the Monaghan posts. The clock read 9.9 seconds.

Almost as quick, Vinny Corey was getting in the face of Michael Murphy (or vice versa), and likewise Colin Walsh in the face of McBrearty: these things work both ways, although Donegal manager Rory Gallagher was the first to bring these antics to the attention of the sideline officials.

Both teams started out playing under heavy woollen blankets: starting positions meant nothing. Still, Murphy won the first battle – escaping from Corey under a high ball, recovering his position, and adding Donegal’s second point from play, on 10 minutes.

Worrying for Monaghan, perhaps, McManus, hailed as the best forward in the modern game, closely marked by Paddy McGrath, saw his first on goal drift wide; his second blocked down. Instead, Shane Carey opened Monaghan’s scoring, on 11 minutes, with a deft point from the right side of goal.

Murphy then scored his first free for Donegal, followed by McManus for Monaghan, his sneaking between the posts, before Conor McCarthy levelled it again on 21 minutes.

With that Monaghan suddenly found a hold around midfield, winning the breaking ball, while Donegal spilled up possession all too easily – although that trend didn’t last long. Still, two more frees for McManus edged Monaghan two points ahead, positively daylight in a claustrophobic contest like this.

Almost as suddenly Monaghan hit three wides in succession, while at the same time McBreaty scored three on the trot – two frees, and a beautiful point from play, winning possession while moving in the opposite direction.

The half closed out with no let up, McManus sending over his fourth free of the half to deservedly level it up again, six points apiece.

Donegal had come to Breffni Park on the heels of a sixth consecutive Ulster final – a record for the county, last achieved in the province by Down’s famous run throughout the 1960s. Monaghan, clearly, weren’t going to make that task in any way easy.

Into the second half then, and more worrying for Monaghan, Donegal carved open the first goal chance of the game, Anthony Thompson sending Ciaran Gillespie clear on goal, only for Rory Beggan to make an excellent block. Murphy failed to convert the 45-metre chance.

It was a bit of an escape for Monaghan, and they sensed it – McManus swiftly pouncing on neat ball from Kieran Hughes to score his first point from play. When Karl O’Connell then added two from play, it felt like proper daylight again, 0-10 to 0-7 in Monaghan’s favour.

Murphy shot two frees wide, and dropped another shot short, before and McBreaty hit another wide, and with that Monaghan sensed a killing. Instead, it as Donegal who turned the game in their favour in the final quarter, but never enough to shake off Monaghan.

Another epic of a replay beckons, with Tyrone and Cavan also going at each other again next weekend to decide who will pair up in the final.

MONAGHAN: R Beggan; C Walsh, D Wylie, R Wylie; F Kelly, V Corey, K Duffy; K O'Connell (0-2), K Hughes; S Carey (0-1), O Duffy (0-1), R McAnespie; C McCarthy (0-2, one free), D Hughes, C McManus (capt) (0-8, seven frees).

Subs: D Mone for D Wylie (58 mins), D McKenna for McCarthy (58 mins), C Boyle for Walsh (60 minutes, black card), J McCarron for Carey (64 mins).

DONEGAL: M McGinley; P McGrath, C Gillespie, E McGee; R McHugh, K Lacey (0-1), F McGlynn; R Kavanagh, O Mac Niallais (1-0); A Thompson, M McElinney, E McHugh (0-1); P McBrearty (0-5, three frees), M Murphy (capt) (0-3, two frees), M O'Reilly.

Subs: M McHugh for Thompson (64 mins), C Toye (0-1) for Kavanagh (68 mins)

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).

Attendance: 16,287