All-Ireland SFC Qualifer/Donegal ... 0-16 Sligo ... 0-11: After a century, the neighbours from the Northwest met for a game of summer football and the result may be as important as the fare was forgettable. Keith Duggan reports from MacCumhaill Park
In front of a noisy little crowd of 13,000 in the pretty, tree-shaded ground of MacCumhaill Park, Donegal quietly went about winning a modest game that they may well yet mark as momentous.
Sligo, mysteriously flat since last year's adventures, endured a slow death in the afternoon. They are done before the month of June while Donegal, who looked hanged back in May, are still in the championship.
That fact alone must give immense satisfaction to Brian McEniff, whose extraordinary life in Donegal football will see another 70 minutes of theatre at least.
This was McEniff's finest hour since he took the dramatic decision to return to senior management early in the New Year.
Purpose and belief and, most significantly, joy in the mere act of playing football visibly returned to his team at the crucial point of this qualifying game.
Up 0-9 to 0-8 with half an hour left, they suddenly fell into last season's rhythms and just cruised past Sligo with a necklace of scores.
At the heart of these was Adrian Sweeney, who contributed seven points and is again a glimmering threat.
Big John Haran, an old-fashioned and uncomplicated utility player, came in and banged over two vital points, and the coltish Jim McGuinness was shown the whip by McEniff at the right time and responded with a storming last 20 minutes.
But the true key was at midfield, where John Gildea gave another tireless and clever display and young Stephen McDermott was a revelation.
It was that sector of the field that Sligo based their blueprint upon. Early on, they ran a line across the middle consisting of Paul Durcan, Nigel Clancy, Eamon O'Hara and Padraig Doohan.
In the midst of the light Donegal side, they had the look of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. And for the first five minutes, they overpowered the home team, creating a string of chances that they banged wide.
Still, with Dessie Sloyan's frees and a fine score on 14 minutes by Michael McNamara, they were able to stay in touch without too much bother. The problems began and ended, as against Mayo, with Eamon O'Hara.
Such is the Tourlestrane man's excellence and influence that his struggles inevitably mirror those of his county.
O'Hara did what he could to get involved but his ongoing injury and diligent shadowing by Shane Carr again rendered him a shell of the player he was 12 months ago.
And when Donegal began to purr, Sligo had the heart but not the inspiration to respond.
There were signs early on. McDermott danced past Durcan and Doohan to fire a fine point on 22 minutes, and two minutes later the black defence fell apart as John Gildea burst into a clearing. With all the goal to aim at, he rocketed a shot wide, his shooting from play the one black mark against his name.
Sligo, streetwise and patient, hung in with scores from Gerry McGowan and John McPartland.
The worry for Ford though was that Sligo's attacks were broken and sporadic.
Once a lead opened, they had nobody out there capable of taking the game to Donegal. With Kevin Cassidy busy and bustling along the left flank and Brian Roper a growing creative force, Donegal pulled away.
A blockdown by Haran resulted in a fine point by Sweeney on 50 minutes to leave the home side 0-11 to 0-8 to the good. They never looked back and 10 minutes later it was 0-16 to 0-09.
For Sligo supporters, it was like watching their team slowly being put to sleep.
Gone was the fight on a muggy and dispiriting day. Sloyan rattled a low free at a crowded Donegal that quickened the heartbeat for a few seconds but the Donegal back division, after a harrowing winter, looked bright and tidy on the firm grass.
O'Hara cut an understandably frustrated figure at the close and it was a shame that injury should follow an All Star year. He will undoubtedly return but several of Sligo's players had a weary look by the close of this game.
The introduction of big Kieran Quinn, a key figure last season, had a limited impact, yielding a point when Sligo desperately needed it.
But overall, the barrel was empty and a sense of pessimism is bound to return to the Yeats County.
Across Donegal came a chink of bright lights through the clouds. Under a month ago, this was a team as fragile as china.
Some of their number are still low in that department but this game could work wonders.
Improbably, they still have a championship season, and with Brendan Devenney off the sick list and ready for football again, they are beginning to look like a more substantial prospect.
So this novel meeting leaves Peter Ford's team maybe knowing less about themselves than they did a year ago.
Brian McEniff's bank of knowledge is based upon a simple truth. He is still a manager. There will be another Sunday.
DONEGAL: T Blake; N McCready, R Sweeney, D Diver; S Carr, B Monaghan, K Cassidy; J Gildea, S McDermott (0-3); C Toye, B Roper, J McGuinness; C McFadden, A Sweeney (0-7, 3 frees), M Hegarty (0-2, frees). Subs: J Haran (0-2) for Toye (49 mins); J McCafferty for McFadden (62 mins); J Ruane for Gildea (66 mins).
SLIGO: J Curran; P Gallagher, N Carew, B Philips; D Durkin (0-1), D Doohan, N McGuire; P Durcan, N Clancy; K O'Neill, J McPartland (0-1), E O'Hara (0-1, free); D Sloyan (0-5, frees), M McNamara (0-1), G McGowan (0-1). Subs: K Quinn (0-1) for O'Neill (half-time); P Naughton for Philips (half-time); M Brehony for McPartland (56).
Referee: B White (Wexford)
