Donegal 0-23; Monaghan 0-21
Maybe we expected Ulster champions Donegal to walk through this like a bank holiday stroll but in the end they got a bit of a fright before emerging victorious before a crowd of more than 16,000 in Clones on Sunday.
Yes, they led from the fifth minute to the final tape and were always that bit superior but credit Monaghan with throwing telling punches - and landing - to the end of this encounter.
They came within one two-pointer of leveling the afternoon such was their ability to run at and cause problems to the best laid plans that winning Manager Jim McGuiness came up with on the day.
David Coldrick called time on their comeback and you could see the relief on the faces of the green and gold side. A major contrast to their demeanor when the likes of Ciarán Thompson, Michael Langan and Peadar Mogan were slapping over points for sport in the first half. At the end of the day, the Div 2 champs from Farney land will be buoyed by the fact that they outgunned their opponents by 0-14 to 0-9 in the second half.
Donegal settled through two of their big guns as Michael Murphy and Dáire Ó Baoill were both on target twice each during the opening quarter.
They weren’t the only ones firing - Peadar Mogan and Ciarán Thompson, found their range in the second quarter and while Dessie Ward and Conor McCarthy kept their side ticking over, Donegal had established a commanding 0-14 to 0-8 by the break.
Then when you saw All-Star Oisín Gallen emerging for the second half and he kicked an immediate point while assisting with another, well you guessed there was only going to be one outcome.
It may be the post-Vinny Corey as manager and Conor McManus as playing talisman era in Monaghan, but that doesn’t stop the county from punching above its weight seemingly every time they go out.
Two-pointers from Conor McCarthy, Ward, Mícheál Bannigan and sub Jack McCarron suddenly had Donegal back in their cross-hairs. They didn’t stop there as newly in Stephen Mooney hit a two-pointer for Monaghan, which fellow sub Jamie Brennan matched for Donegal.
Langan stepped up when Donegal needed him at this stage to hit four and keep Monaghan at arm’s length, with Finnbarr Roarty also getting on the scoresheet.
Surely that was enough -- but no, Monaghan kept up the fight as Ward lashed over his second two-pointer and then went oh-so-close with his third attempt for these new scores.
If it had landed, it would have sent the game into extra time… instead the ref sounded the final whistle and McGuinness and co knew they had escaped with only a bloody nose from this contest, and maybe a warning that they will need to play all four quarters from now on to avoid possible ambushes to holding on to their Ulster title.
The upshot of the day means Donegal play Down in the Ulster semi-finals this Sunday, while Monaghan will have to wait for the All-Ireland group stage in over a month’s time.
Monaghan: R Beggan (0-1, ’45); R Wylie, K Duffy, D Byrne; D Ward (0-6, 2 2-pt), R O’Toole, C McCarthy (0-3, 1 2-pt); M McCarville, G Mohan (0-1); C McNulty, M Bannigan (capt, 0-5, 1 2-pt, 0-2f), R McAnespie (0-1); S O’Hanlon, A Woods, D Garland Subs: J McCarron (0-2, 1 2-pt) for Garland, G McPhillips for McCarville (both 29); S Mooney (0-2) for Woods (52); J Wilson for McNulty (60); K O’Connell for Byrne (64).
Donegal: S Patton; F Roarty (0-1), B McCole, S McMenamin; R McHugh, C Moore, P Mogan (0-4); H McFadden, C Thompson (0-5, 1 2-pt, 0-1m); D Ó Baoill (0-2), M Langan (0-4), S O’Donnell; P McBrearty (capt, 0-1), M Murphy (0-3, 1 2-pt-f), C O’Donnell Subs: O Gallen (0-1) for C O’Donnell (H-T); J McGee for McFadden (46); J Brennan (0-2) for McBrearty, A Doherty for Ó Baoill (both 51) Temporary sub: O McFadden-Ferry for McHugh (29-H-T).
GAA RESULTS
Munster SHC round 1
Tipperary 2-23 Limerick 2-23
Clare 3-21 Cork 2-24
Connacht SFC semi-final
Galway 1-24 Roscommon 0-18
Mayo 0-20 Leitrim 0-13
Ulster SFC quarter-final
Donegal 0-23 Monaghan 0-21
Down 2-19 Fermanagh 0-23
Leinster SHC Round 1
Dublin 1-25 Offaly 2-19
Kilkenny 3-24 Galway 0-21
Wexford 2-24 Antrim 0-29
Munster SFC semi-finals
Kerry 3-21 Cork 1-25
Clare 2-18 Tipperary 1-15
Joe McDonagh Cup round 1
Laois 3-25 Westmeath 1-22
Carlow 6-23 Down 0-20
Kerry 1-17 Kildare 0-19
Christy Ring Cup
Derry 2-19 London 1-18
Meath 2-29 Tyrone 2-15
Wicklow 1-11 Donegal 1-10
Nickey Rackard Cup
Louth 3-20 Fermanagh 0-15
Sligo 0-17 Roscommon 1-14
Mayo 1-28 Armagh 0-11
Lory Meagher Cup
Cavan 2-20 Monaghan 1-14
Longford 1-14 Warwickshire 0-16
Leitrim 1-13 Lancashire 1-12
Ref: D Coldrick (Meath).
