Offaly's attack unleashes an array of killer punches

There's a tendency to be a bit miserable about good displays at this time of the year but after the grim delinquency of the second Church & General NFL semi-final, there's no harm in acknowledging that this competitive first match let the football flow - and in good spirit.

Amidst some lively attacking football, Offaly generated flashes of the electric forward play - as well as the propensity for lethally-timed goals - that was a feature of their win over Meath in last August's Leinster final. Donegal weren't as practised as their opponents and relied too heavily on Tony Boyle in attack.

Donegal were well in contention for the whole match, but some good defending and a couple of outstanding saves from Padraig Kelly prevented them from scoring the additional goal which could have swung the match. As in last week's quarter-final against Galway, Offaly's economy with chances created helped them weather some heavy pressure by breaking away for scores at the end of the match - at which stage Vinny Claffey's composure and use of the ball were outstanding.

As early as the eighth minute, Kelly saved from Boyle who was already in the process of giving young Barry Malone a tutorial on the edge of the square. After last week's difficulties against Padraig Joyce, Malone's confidence won't have been helped and Offaly still look in need of a full back with the composure to match the team's ultimate ambitions.

Selector Paul O'Kelly was quick to point out in the Offaly dressingroom that Malone hadn't played any senior football a year ago and that he needed time to learn. In fairness, he was more assured further out the field and contributed to the side's first goal, scored by his brother Roy.

Boyle scored a point at the end of that passage of play, courtesy of a poor clearing free, and two minutes later provided another practical lesson for the hapless Malone. A quick free from Brendan Devenney gave Boyle an accurate pass into the space in front of his marker and the full forward outstripped his man to register the first goal of the afternoon.

Class was then dismissed as Tommy Lyons moved quickly to switch Malone and Cathal Daly who spent a more competitive afternoon in Boyle's company, although even the outstanding Offaly defender admitted later that Boyle was the "best full forward I've ever marked".

In these difficult opening moments, Donegal looked well capable of gaining a decisive advantage on their opponents and were 1-2 to 0-1 ahead after 10 minutes. They were performing well at centrefield where Jim McGuinness was the most prominent of the original quartet to start there. It was the most crowded sector of the pitch as Donegal stripped down their attack to four, with Noel Hegarty and John Gildea (a late call-up - his six-month suspension for playing illegally in the US having expired on Saturday night) playing out around the middle.

Offaly certainly seemed to suffer from the crowding. Jim Grennan, so effective against Galway, seemed incapable of holding onto a ball at centrefield whereas Ciaran McManus was giving McGuinness too much latitude ("Jim McGuinness was destroying us," according to Lyons afterwards explaining the decision to switch McManus and Ronan Mooney just before half-time).

By the end of the first quarter, however, Offaly were emphatically back in the game. Barry Malone dispossessed Devenney and supplied Grennan with the opportunity to let fly a long kick (raising the question as to why Offaly didn't use the wind advantage to strike earlier ball into a rampant Roy Malone throughout the first half) in behind the Donegal defence. Despite JJ Doherty's despairing grope at the ball, Roy Malone sped past him to get the vital nudge into the net.

Thereafter Offaly were transformed and never again looked like letting the match get away from them. A flurry of points pushed them into a three-point lead. Colm Quinn, Mark Daly (a late replacement for Peter Brady), Claffey, and McManus, with a second 50-metre free and a point from play, all added to the score to leave the Offaly 1-7 to 1-4 ahead at the interval.

Donegal started the second half in business-like fashion and assisted by Roy Malone's poor decision to take a shot when James Stewart was unmarked, pulled back the deficit within nine minutes of the restart. Three minutes later, after Claffey had restored Offaly's lead, Boyle made his ball-winning count (for a while Daly had contained him by tight tackling and limited the damage).

Having coming in along the endline, he provided a glorious chance for Devenney but last week's two-goal hero found his constant companion David Foley again in attendance, this time in the goalmouth where he saved the ball in behind Kelly.

The match was nicely poised with Donegal ahead 1-9 to 1-8 going into the last quarter. Then, in the 46th minute, a typical Offaly move down the right - Grennan putting McManus in space and he picking out an inrushing colleague - ended with Stewart crashing home a goal.

Yet again Donegal responded with Boyle by now carrying virtually the whole scoring threat but no sooner had his two points levelled the match once more than Stewart returned the favour to McManus by picking him out on a surging run with enough time and space to unleash one of his speciality shots, previously glimpsed in Sigerson Cup matches for UCD, from 25 metres into the net.

Boyle again came to the fore, kicking a point and cracking a shot agonisingly across the face of the goal in the 54th minute after a flowing Donegal move down the pitch. Two minutes later, trailing 1-13 to 3-9, Donegal again created a chance this time for Noel McGinley whose shot drew a great save from Kelly.

The final minutes were counted down breathlessly with Claffey and Boyle swapping points and Offaly's forwards producing some exhilarating raids to relieve pressure before the final whistle.

Offaly: P Kelly; C Daly, B Malone, D Foley; J Kenny, F Cullen, J Brady; C McManus (1-3, two points from frees), J Grennan; C Quinn (0-1), J Stewart (1-0), R Mooney; V Claffey (0- 4), R Malone (1-0), M Daly (0-1). Subs: P O'reilly for B Malone (half-time); B Mooney for Daly (58 mins).

Donegal: P Callaghan; N McGinley, JJ Doherty, D Diver; B McGowan (0-1), M Coll, S Carr; J McGuinness, J Ruane; N Hegarty, A Sweeney, B Roper (0-1); J Gildea (0-2), T Boyle (1-8, five frees, one sideline), B Devenney (0-2). Subs: M Boyle for Sweeney (52 mins); B Murray for Ruane (53 mins).

Referee: M Curley (Galway).