Monaghan 1-10 Donegal 1-9
A 74th-minute point from corner-back Colin Walshe kept Monaghan in Division One. It was the skin of their teeth but it was all they needed, as they held Donegal to two second-half points. The victory kept them up and sent Cork to Division Two. The drama of it all.
After being outplayed for long periods in the first half, this was a huge result for Malachy O’Rourke’s side. They were seven points behind after 20 minutes but hauled themselves back into it. Nothing in Castleblayney was easy on the eye but they gutted it out and just about kept their noses above the waterline.
Right to the end, Monaghan were in trouble as a draw wasn’t going to keep them in it. But deep into injury-time, Owen Duffy broke up a Donegal attack and fed Drew Wylie, who played in the on-running Walshe. His first score of the league kept Monaghan alive.
In games between two deep-lying defences, you live and die by the frees you can draw. For long stretches of the first half, Donegal were able to penetrate deeper into enemy territory before Monaghan had to foul them and so they found themselves with more takeable chances. By contrast, Monaghan spent ages trying to advance and every yard was hard one. Conor McManus’s first three shots at goal were from the sideline - two of them frees from 50 metres on an angle and another a sideline ball. None of them was successful.
Whereas at the other end, Michael Murphy swatted over a couple of frees, Patrick McBrearty got one and should have had another. It wasn’t the only difference between the sides in the opening half but it was what mattered on the scoreboard.
Donegal also out a full-court press on Rory Beggan’s kick-outs and left Monaghan’s goalkeeper betwixt and between on numerous occasions. The Donegal goal came directly from one such, Beggan’s kick squirting away from Dessie Mone and finding its way to Martin McIlhinney via Leo McLoone and McBrearty. With 20 minutes on the clock, Donegal led 1-4 to 0-0 and were full value for it.
That could have been that for Monaghan and nobody in the ground could have quibbled. At that stage, Donegal were by far the more cohesive up to that point and the home side looked ponderous by comparison. If they were to get back into it, they had to do it quickly.
Daniel McKenna’s goal - Monaghan’s first score of the game - couldn’t have come at a better time, then. Just 47 seconds separated McIlhinney’s and his, planted past Mark Anthony McGinley after a strong run by Neil McAdam. It kept Monaghan breathing just at the point where they were in danger of gasping their last.
It shook life Malachy O’Rourke’s side. Although Donegal got the next score, a gorgeous effort from Odhrán MacNiallias, Monaghan came back with further points from McKenna, Darren Hughes and a couple from McManus. The second McManus point was the best moment of the half - a sublime effort on the run after he turned a poor Ryan Wylie ball into a good one.
It all washed out into a half-time lead of 1-7 to 1-4 for Donegal. Digging in during those last 15 minutes of the second half was allowed Monaghan to produce what they did in the second half.
They outscored Donegal by 0-6 to 0-2 in the second half and the game was every bit as hard to watch as that suggests. Four McManus frees kept edging them into it and Ryan McAnespie lobbed one of his own from play. Donegal lost their way slightly and saw Neil McGee and Hugh McFadden ordered off on black cards.
Monaghan: Rory Beggan; Colin Walshe (0-1), Drew Wylie, Ryan Wylie; Dessie Mone, Fintan Kelly, Karl O'Connell; Neil McAdam, Darren Hughes (0-1); Vinny Corey, Dermot Malone, Kieran Hughes; Ryan McAnespie (0-1), Daniel McKenna (1-1), Conor McManus (0-6, 0-5 frees). Subs: Thomas Kerr for Mone, 49 mins; Owen Duffy for Malone, 54 mins; Conor McCarthy for McKenna, 60 mins
Donegal: Mark Anthony McGinley; Paddy McGrath, Neil McGee, Frank McGlynn; Ryan McHugh (0-1), Anthony Thompson (0-1), Hugh McFadden; Rory Kavanagh, Martin McIlhinney (1-0); Martin O'Reilly, Leo McLoone, Odhran MacNiallais (0-1); Patrick McBrearty (0-2, 0-1 free), Michael Murphy (0-3, 0-2 frees, 0-1 45), Eoin McHugh (0-1). Subs: Colm McFadden for Eoin McHugh, 54 mins; Eamonn McGee for O'Reilly, 61 mins; Christy Toye for McLoone, 65 mins; Stephen McBrearty for McIlhinney, 67 mins; Eamon Doherty for Neil McGee (black card), 69 mins; Mark McHugh for Hugh McFadden (black card), 75 mins
Referee: Rory Hickey (Clare).
