At risk of having one thumping victory taken away from them on a technicality, Donegal briefly looked like suffering an astonishing defeat in a game they should have won comfortably.
When Tyrone substitute Ciaran Daly netted what was, amazingly, the game’s only goal in the 58th minute it put the hosts in front for the first time having been on the back foot for much of the match.
No one would have had the foggiest idea how it was done if Tyrone had somehow triumphed here with Donegal dominating and carving out a series of goal chances, apart from the third quarter when heavy fog descended.
From the press box there were fears then that the match might have to be abandoned, but Donegal boss Jim McGuinness laughed at that, explaining that he was oblivious to those concerns:
“No, definitely not – because we weren’t even aware of it until we came out of the tunnel. The game was actually started by the time we got out and I was like, ‘Jeez, it’s very hazy out here!’”
Having been behind by nine points to four at half-time, Tyrone reeled off the first four scores to make it a one-point game, but McGuinness didn’t blame the foggy conditions for that turnaround:
“No, I don’t think so. Niall Morgan was getting his kick-outs away and kick-outs were equalling possession. Those possessions were ending up in our half and we were giving away frees… That’s not what we want, we’ll definitely have to go back and look at that.”
He was also unclear about what might happen after Donegal fielded young Finbarr Roarty before his 18th birthday in their emphatic opening win over Armagh. That technical breach might cost the Tir Chonaill team the points, so their place in this competition’s semi-finals is not yet assured:
“I have no idea, being honest with you. I don’t think we’ve had any correspondence either – maybe the county board have, I haven’t anyway. We’re just going to have to wait and see. There’s maybe a meeting here so we’re going to have to wait on the outcome of that.
“If it is, so be it. We can’t control the boardroom, other than appeal, which everybody else seems to do in the GAA,” he said with a laugh. “Not pre-empting anything, we’ll have to wait to see what unfolds and then deal with it as it pops up.”
With one other nod to the atmospheric conditions, it was a case of ‘into the sun’ in the first half for McGuinness’s men, rather than the traditional ‘against the breeze’, but Donegal dazzled rather than being dazzled.
A dusting of frost still covered the ground in front of the town end goals that the visitors were attacking but their footwork was fantastic, their forward forays very assured, quick and slick.
Donegal had no newbies after their opener against Armagh, with another strong side selected even without Eoghan Gallagher and Ciaran Thompson from the named line-up, with Mark Curran and Odhran Doherty coming in.
The first of many Donegal goal chances came in the sixth minute, Ryan McHugh and Oisin Gallen combining to set up Jamie Brennan, but his weak shot was kicked off the line by Brian Kennedy.
The big midfielder then did very well to fist Tyrone’s opening score, but Donegal quickly resumed their dominance of proceedings.
Brennan fumbled another potential opportunity for goal, but did grab a couple of quick points, one following a rapid counter-attack, the other from the interception of a Tyrone kick-out.
Darragh Canavan produced a score out of nothing for the hosts but Donegal kept streaming forward, Jason McGee firing over when in front of goal, then his midfield partner Michael Langan butchering another opportunity with a heavy hand-pass.
The hosts handed out four full debuts, to Tarlach Quinn of Moortown, Dungannon’s Conall Devlin, Aodhan Donaghy of Loughmacrory, and Carrickmore’s James Donaghy.
Seanie O’Donnell also started instead of his cousin Ruairi Canavan. The Trillick lad took some time to settle, but he eventually showed his quality, as did colleagues, but damage had been done.
Tyrone joint-boss Brian Dooher acknowledged his experimental team had left themselves too much to do, saying: “The first half we just weren’t at the races, we were probably lucky to be only five points down at half-time.
“We got ourselves re-set, re-stabilised, but I suppose the big thing was the work-rate and the application of the players in the second half was remarkably different from what it was in the first half. We just weren’t getting hands on in the first half.”
The introduction of Conn Kilpatrick for the second period certainly helped in that regard, the Edendork man running ball at the Donegal defence, but it was another use of his feet that threatened to transform this game.
Donegal had steadied themselves, with ‘man of the match’ Oisin Gallen helping re-establish a two-point lead, 0-12 to 0-10. However Kilpatrick’s quick free came to O’Donnell and he brilliantly wriggled through along the end-line before hand-passing across for his clubmate Daly to palm to the open net.
Donegal responded convincingly, though, with Gallen at the heart. First he won and converted a free, then he set up Shane O’Donnell to fist his side in front, before the Sean MacCumhaill’s player completed the scoring with a point on the loop.
Tyrone: N Morgan; C Devlin, N McCarron, A Clarke; Tarlach Quinn, M McKernan (0-1), N Devlin (0-1); B Kennedy (0-1), A Donaghy; D Jones, P Harte (0-2 frees), J Donaghy; C Cush, D Canavan (0-4, 0-3 frees), S O’Donnell.
Substitutes: C Kilpatrick for Jones (h-t); C Quinn for McCarron (h-t); B Cullen for J Donaghy (48); L McGarrity (0-1 mark) for Cush (48); C Daly (1-0) for A Donaghy (55); Tiarnan Quinn for Canavan (57); S Donaghy for Tarlach Quinn (70); J Garrity for Harte (70).
Donegal: S Patton; M Curran, B McCole, K McGettigan; R McHugh, C McGonagle, P Mogan (0-1); J McGee (0-1), M Langan; S O’Donnell (0-2,0-1 mark), O Doherty (0-1), C Moore; P McBrearty (capt.) (0-3 frees), O Gallen (0-4, 0-2 frees), J Brennan (0-1).
Substitutes: C Thompson for McGee (44); O Caulfield (0-1) for Doherty; L McGlynn for Brennan (53); S Martin for O’Donnell (62); J Mac Ceallabhui for McHugh (66); S McMenamin for McCole (68); A Doherty for McBrearty (69).
Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh).
Attendance: 3,664.