Donegal find another gear as Antrim’s challenge fizzles out

Donegal 3-16 Antrim 0-12

Donegal came roaring into their fourth Ulster final in a row yesterday, with a possible showdown against last year’s champions Monaghan looming in a month’s time.

Well, not exactly roaring because this was a strikingly subdued championship afternoon in the market town and while Donegal’s rampant second-half scoring burst kept the crowd entertained, the day failed to reach the heights that makes the Ulster competition special.

There were, as they say, extenuating circumstances.

A very small Saffron support showed up and the Donegal fans in the crowd of 11,795 have become accustomed to dining on fatter calves. A clever first half by Antrim, with deep defensive cover allied to nimble point -taking, left the sides tied at 0-7 apiece at the break.

Their advantage

It was a perfectly plotted first half for Baker Bradley’s side. Mark Sweeney landed two terrific points, Kevin O’Boyle came marauding forward at will and Niall McKeever claimed three huge balls which Antrim turned to their advantage.

The Donegal men shot under pressure, fired eight wides and when they trotted off at the break, their fans seemed slightly restless and uneasy.

But on a day when their marquee full-forward line endured varying frustrations, their new generation led the way in what became an overwhelmingly one-sided second half.

Eighteen-year-old Darach O’Connor capped a buzzing afternoon with a goal of true audacity in the 48th minute, tearing a hole through Antrim’s middle with a break, taking a return pass from Frank McGlynn and firing low to the net when everyone expected a point.

Odhran MacNiallais put in a big shift at midfield and hit four points from play. Neither man was scheduled to start. Dermot Brick Molloy was was sent in with 15 minutes to go and hit 1-1, meaning that Donegal had 2-7 from its named bench here.

That handsome return bodes well for a side regularly accused of having zero bench options. For the second championship Sunday running, Jim McGuinness was forced to make late alterations to his team, with Karl Lacey and Rory Kavanagh carrying slight injuries.

Worse, Neil Gallagher broke a wealth of possession for Donegal at midfield but then retired injured after 18 minutes. It was a day for improvisation and Paul Durcan’s wicked variety of disguised kick-outs helped Donegal keep a flow of possession.

On a day when Michael Murphy was shadowed by Sean McVeigh and double-teamed every time he touched the ball, Donegal struggled to plot paths through Antrim early on.

Antrim had to make late changes to their defence, with Ricky and Marty Johnson withdrawing from the side after their father Richard died on Friday evening.

The Antrim panel stood arm in arm for the minute’s silence and their deeply impressive and honest first half was a tribute to the absent brothers. Their full back line did well and Murphy was forced to roam for possession.

Patrick McBrearty again left the field after a scoreless afternoon. The Kilcar man looks like a player trying too hard rather than trusting his instinct. Colm McFadden, however, showed signs that he is gradually working towards the scintillating form of two summers ago.

The Donegal defence was businesslike except for a few needless frees and once again, Christy Toye had a huge influence in dictating the direction of the Donegal attack. Leo McLoone coolly slipped the goal which broke the match open and once Donegal relaxed into backs-and-forwards play, they piled on the scores.

Lay waste

Donegal’s ability to lay waste to opposition plans with intense bursts of precise, aggressive attacks makes them a difficult side to read. At times yesterday, they were highly cautious with the ball, running loops around the edges of Antrim’s defence.

They smothered McKeever at midfield and won ball after ball and once they attacked at speed, they were a menace. A run of 2-4 in 18 minutes, during which Antrim could reply only with Tomas McCann’s solitary free, ended the contest.

McLoone continued to cause problems for Tyrone while Frank McGlynn raided with the intelligence that has become a trademark of his game. The scores came with an ease you don’t normally associate with Clones in high summer.

Donegal were full or running and energy here and look set to return to this year’s Ulster final with a superior level of conditioning than they could summon during last year’s injury -ravaged season.

On the evidence of their Ulster campaign to date, they are gathering momentum and confidence with each week. DONEGAL: 1 P Durcan, 2 E McGee, 3 N McGee, 4 P McGrath; 12 R McHugh, 5 F McGlynn, 7 A Thompson; 8 N Gallagher, 20 O MacNiallais (0-4); 10 C Toye (0-1), 11 L McLoone (1-2), 23 D O'Connor (1-2); 13 P McBrearty, 14 M Murphy (0-4, 2 frees, 1 50), C McFadden (0-2 , 1free). Subs: M McElhinney for N Gallagher (17 mins), D Walsh for P McBrearty (51), D Molloy(1-1) for D O'Connor (56), L Keeney for C Toye (61 mins), D Walsh for N McGee (67 mins), M O'Reilly for L McLoone (70 mins). ANTRIM: 1 P Flood, 6 J Crozier, 21 S McVeigh, 4 N Delargy; 7 J Laverty, 2 K O'Boyle, 11 M Sweeney (0-2); 8 M McCann, 9 N McKeever; 10 C Murray (0-1), 19 P McBride, 12 P McCann (0-1), 13 B Neeson (0-3 frees), 14 K Niblock (0-1), 15 T McCann (0-3, 2 frees). Subs: R Murray for P McCann (48 mins), T Scullion for McBride (51 mins), P Cunningham (0-1 free) for B Neeson (55 mins). Referee: B Cassidy (Derry).