New-look Donegal hang on for their day in the sun

Ulster SFC Quarter-final/Donegal 1-12 Down 1-11: This game was like a tonic from the dark province after the grim expulsion of the All-Ireland champions a week ago. As the sun fell, hero of the hour Rory Kavanagh smiled as he proclaimed that this was "a new-look Donegal team". With a noisy and festive 15,500 showing up by the river ground and the sun beaming down, old timers remarked that they had not been such an atmosphere around the Twin Towns for many years.

There were many mistakes made in this match but it was sporting and open and absolutely laced with thrilling passages of play and some superb scoring. Down will have reason to feel aggrieved and regretful as they head back to the Mournes to examine why the province they once ruled has been so unkind to them of late.

The one point defeat is the most torturous of all. The slender Daniel Hughes, who had haunted the Donegal back line all day, had an opportunity to end the hot day on a draw with the last kick of the game from a fiercely difficult free. But Down had just replaced Liam Doyle, their left-foot specialist with their final substitution and Hughes could not get the right purchase on the ball. It floated wide to howls of local joy.

However, they had strong claims for a much easier free in the 71st minute when Donegal's Paddy Campbell blatantly tripped Benny Coulter as the pair raced for the ball. It was the one blemish in an excellent man-marking display by the Glenties man and was one hell of an indiscretion to get away with.

Overall, though, Donegal were worthy winners. It seems in their nature to make high-wire, dramatic work of things. For a 15-minute spell, they destroyed Down everywhere but on the scoreboard, with the impressive Ciarán Bonner smacking a perfect goal chance clean off the post and Eamonn McGee bursting into open country to force a lunging save off Brendan McVeigh.

In addition, their free-taker, Michael Doherty, had a miserable day in the sun, kicking five bad wides from dead ball shots he would normally put over in his sleep.

The day started brightly for the young Four Masters man who made two early frees look sweet and effortless. Watching from behind a pair of shades in the gantry was Manus Boyle, the great Killybegs free-kick man from the 1990s and Doherty's assured style provoked a spectator in the crowd to shout, "They found a replacement for ya at last, Manus." Boyle just smiled, possibly sensing a jinx. In the end, it was another old hand, Adrian Sweeney, who came in from the cool of the substitutes dugout to deliver a booming 50-metre free on 61 minutes, the last Donegal would score.

Brian McIver's sparing use of Sweeney was one of several points of contention in the build-up to this game. Only three (Michael Hegarty, Christy Toye and Barry Monaghan) of the Donegal side that contested the All-Ireland semi-final of 2003 started here. Presumably it would have been four had Kevin Cassidy not elected to watch this game from the blue-collar Boston-Irish bars of Brighton or Dorchester. Life goes on without the fiery Gweedore man.

Donegal were predictable and nervous in the first half and trailed 0-6 to 1-6 but they were a liberated group in the second half. Barry Dunnion made hay along the left wing - in a performance reminiscent of Cassidy's maiden season - clipping the opening point of the second half, setting up Rory Kavanagh's goal and then bursting forward again to win a free which led to two Down bookings.

The goal was sensational. The reeling Down defence seemed to dissolve around Kavanagh and he was handsomely rewarded for going for glory. That score seemed to deepen the belief of the novice forward line and afterwards they went tit for tat with Down, with Hegarty contributing two massive points as the home belief grew.

All of a sudden, Down found themselves in a perilous situation. They had illustrated their audacious love of goal-scoring early on when Hughes finished a beautiful burst of speed and supply from Coulter.

The goal was classic Down: a stinging counter-attack with the boldest of intentions and arriving just after eight minutes, it spelt the worst for the Donegal defence. But they held on. Karl Lacey did a terrific job in neutralising Michael Walsh and, with Campbell sticking to Coulter, the Mourne men could not ignite. They stuck in there, with valuable points from Paul Murphy and Dan Gordon but the scoring opportunities began to dry up.

There were times when they moved the ball at a frantic rate and, although Coulter came within a whisker of escaping twice, the breakthrough never came. For a county that has shown great potential under Paddy O'Rourke, this match was a serious setback to their esteem and ambition. However, they look like a county that could go on the rampage in the qualifiers. They live and die by goals, though.

Donegal lived dangerously during the last 10 minutes when, hanging on to a two-point lead, they elected not to shoot at all. It was foolhardy stuff and great entertainment. And as Down launched high balls into the river end, it seemed almost inevitable that the strawberry coloured figure of Coulter would claim the ball and bang home the winner.

It was that kind of crazy, joyous game. Light years away from the kind of stern fare with which the Ulster game is associated. Donegal play Derry next. If that black-hearted derby doesn't chase away the sunshine, nothing will.

DONEGAL: P Durcan; N McGee, P Campbell, K Lacey; E McGee (0-1), M Hegarty (0-3), B Dunnion (0-1); N Gallagher, B Monaghan; C Toye (0-1), C Bonner, R Kavanagh (1-2); C Kelly, C Dunne (0-1), M Doherty (0-2, frees). Subs: B Boyle for C Kelly (43 mins), A Sweeney (0-1 free) for M Doherty (53 mins), D Diver for N McGee (67 mins), F McGlynn for E McGee (71 mins).

DOWN: B McVeigh; M Cole, B Grant, A Molloy; P Murphy (0-1), J Clarke, A Scullion; A Rogers, D Gordon (0-1); E McCartan, L Doyle (0-3, two frees), R Murtagh (0-1); D Hughes (1-3), B Coulter (0-1), M Walsh (0-1). Subs: M Doran for P Murphy (43 mins), C Laverty for E McCartan (45 mins), D Rafferty for J Clarke (57 mins), R Sexton for R Murtagh (63 mins), L Doyle for J Colgan (70 mins).

Referee: G Ó Conamha (Galway).