Ulster Senior Football Championship semi-final: Donegal 1-22 Armagh 0-13
From Andy Watters at Kingspan Breffni
THERE was a time when Armagh dominated this fixture but this is ‘the new normal’ now and Donegal rekindled memories of their 2015 rout by taking Armagh to the cleaners again on Saturday.
The Tir Chonaill men lost the Ulster final five years ago but they moved serenely to their ninth decider in 10 years with this stunning 12-point success and it will be a massive surprise if they don’t complete their first ever provincial three in-a-row next weekend.
Declan Bonner’s ruthlessly brilliant side looked definite Sam Maguire contenders and the good news for their fans is that there should be better to come.
It’ll take one of the top sides to bring the best out of them because Saturday was a walk in the park. Donegal had 13 scorers on Saturday and the game was over by half-time when the scoreboard read 1-12 to 0-3. As the first half progressed, the Tir Chonaill men became increasingly dominant against an Armagh side that didn’t seem to know whether to stick or twist and failed to do itself justice.
The Orchardmen were briefly level early on but they failed to score from play until the 47th minute and it was only when Donegal relaxed that they were able to add some respectability to the scoreboard.
This was the latest in a series of chastening Championship losses for Kieran McGeeney. Armagh went into the game having secured promotion to Division One and with a quarter-final win in Derry behind them but, with an eye on top flight football next year, this was a painful wake-up call. Donegal were levels above them tactically and in pace and physicality and their fluid, tailor-made system barely missed a beat.
Meanwhile, Armagh were far too defensive and reactive and, most disappointingly, they sacrificed their attacking strengths in a forlorn attempt to stifle Donegal.
Michael Langan had the defending Ulster champions ahead after 12 seconds. He leapt to grab the throw-in and there were hints of the carnage to come in the way he was allowed to run and run until he tapped the ball over the bar.
Eoghan Ban Gallagher advanced from defence to add a second point before the man he was marking, Rian O’Neill, restored parity with back-to-back frees.
And that was as good as it got for the men in orange. Donegal, moving smoothly through the gears, began to look too strong, too quick, too well-organised… Too good.
Jamie Brennan put them ahead and after Hugh McFadden cleared Rory Grugan’s cross (Rian O’Neill’s shot had hit the upright) they added six more points on-the-spin and the salvo included marks for McFadden and his midfield partner Caolan McGonagle.
After McGonagle scored his second point, Donegal laid siege to the Armagh goal. The kick-out strategy broke down and Blaine Hughes could not find an orange jersey. With Michael Langan outstanding, four Orchard restarts in-a-row ended up in opposition hands and there were points for Ryan McHugh and the equally impressive Niall O’Donnell.
Armagh reacted to the centrefield crisis by replacing the struggling Stephen Sheridan with Niall Grimley and they did at least halt Donegal’s scoring run when O’Neill converted his third free.
But there was no respite.
Looking for another mark, Ciaran Thompson punted the ball long to Michael Murphy whose marker Aidan Forker did well to get a hand in and dispossess him. But Peadar Mogan (the latest clever, strong, flying machine to come off the Donegal conveyor belt) was onto the loose ball like a flash and he left Forker and Ryan Kennedy for dead as he raced towards the posts before smashing his shot past Blaine Hughes from near the penalty spot.
It was game-over at that point but the torture continued for the Orchardmen. Murphy hit the bar with a flick-on and then Langan’s long hit was allowed to bounce in the square before it zipped over the bar. Ryan McHugh nonchalantly added another before the break to leave it 1-12 to 0-3.
Armagh had the wind at their backs after the interval and – to their credit – they managed to break even in the second half.
Rian O’Neill extended his tally to five points and Jamie Clarke eventually managed a score from play 12 minutes into the half. The lights came on (perhaps Armagh would have preferred them to stay off?) as sheets of wind blew down the field and Donegal showed off the riches on their bench as Paddy McBrearty and Oisin Gallen entered the fray.
Both scored before the end, as did Murphy who hadn’t raised a flag against Tyrone and waited 56 minutes on Saturday before he tapped over the free which left Donegal 1-17 to 0-6 ahead.
Armagh salvaged a little pride by outscoring their opponents seven-five from there to the finish and there was time for Conor Turbitt to score two fine points on debut but the final whistle was a blessed relief for the Orchardmen.
Next for Donegal is the Ulster final but there are bigger fish to fry for the men from the hills.
Armagh: B Hughes; P Burns, R Kennedy, J Morgan; C O’Neill, A Forker, M Shields; O O’Neill (0-1), S Sheridan; R Grugan, G McCabe, S Campbell; J Clarke (0-2), R O’Neill (0-7, 0-6 frees, 0-1 45), J og Burns
Subs: N Grimley for Sheridan (50), A Murnin for J Og Burns (HT), J Hall for O’Neill (HT), E Rafferty for Murnin (47), C Turbitt (0-2) for Grugan (50)
Donegal: S Patton; S McMenamin, N McGee, E Ban Gallagher (0-1); R McHugh (0-2), P Brennan, E McHugh; H McFadden (0-1 mark), C McGonigle (0-2, -1 mark); C Thompson (0-2, 0-1 free), N O’Donnell (0-2, 0-1 mark), M Langan (0-3); P Mogan (1-2), M Murphy (0-2 frees), J Brennan (0-2). Subs: J McKelvey for McMenamin (5), A McClean (0-1) for P Brennan (43), P McBrearty (0-1) for J Brennan (50), J McGee for McFadden (52), O Gallen (0-1) for E McHugh (57)
Referee: D Coldrick (Meath)
