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Subdued Donegal see off Carlow
08.07.09
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Donegal...2-13 (M. Murphy 0-8 (7 frees); C. Dunne 1-1; R. Kavanagh 1-0; C. Toye 0-1; L. McLoone 0-1; D. Gallagher 0-1; S. Griffin 0-1) Carlow...1-6 (JJ Smith 1-2 (0-2 frees); S. Rea 0-2 (1 free, 1 ’45); E. McCormack 0-1 (1 free); D. St Ledger 0-1) by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, at Páirc Sheáin Mhic Cumhaill A SEASON of Saturdays started as Donegal stumbled and stuttered into the second round of the Qualifiers following this facile victory over a limited Carlow team. Donegal’s performance, particularly in the first half, was far short of what one would expect of the county side. The hangover from the Antrim debacle was still evident in the first period, and Donegal depended on Michael Murphy’s accuracy from placed kicks to go in level with the Leinster minnows at half time. Donegal’s first half play was characterised by aimless and sloppy handpassing in the middle third of the field and the failure to quickly move the ball into the full forward line Donegal’s performance improved slightly after the break. Rory Kavanagh’s early goal gave them an early cushion, but the wayward shooting that had marked the Antrim game was back (Donegal hit 13 wides in all, nine in the second half alone). Were it not for the fact that Carlow ran out of steam, the final result would have been much closer. |
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Championship football is
always said to be a results business – it’s just as well
it’s not about the quality of performance. Donegal got
the result on Saturday night, but their level of
performance will need to vastly improve if they are to
get a result against Clare next Saturday evening. Conal Dunne and Carlow’s Daniel St Leger exchanged points early on, before Michael Murphy scored the first of his eight points – and the only one from play – from an acute angle on the right. But quick and direct balls into the Carlow full forward line were causing the Donegal defence lots of problems. Karl Lacey and Neil McGee thwarted a couple of attacks, but Carlow’s goal came in the ninth minute when St Leger broke down a high free, and JJ Smith rattled the ball to the bottom left corner to put the Leinstermen 1-1 to 0-2 ahead. |
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An Eric McCormack free put
Carlow three points to the good as Donegal struggled to
come to terms with the game. They say that every referee has a speciality, and Sligo ref Michael Duffy’s speciality is penalising handpasses. Half a dozen times in the first half he gave frees against Donegal when he judged the players were throwing rather than cleanly striking the ball. Given Donegal’s overdependence on the short-passing game, this was always going to cause problems and indeed Michael Murphy picked up a yellow card when frustration got the better of him and he kicked the ball sharply at Duffy after the ref had pulled Donegal up for another ‘throw’. Murphy and JJ Smith exchanged frees as Carlow held a three point lead with ten minutes of the first half remaining, but, to their credit, Donegal reeled off three unanswered points – two Murphy frees, on either side of a well taken point from Stephen Griffin – to level it up at 0-6 to 1-3 at the break. Donegal got the ideal start to the second half when, after good work by Eamon McGee near the sideline, Stephen Griffin broke towards goal from the left wing. He slipped the ball outside to Kavanagh and the captain slotted the ball under James Clarke and into the Carlow net. Donegal never really looked threatened after that, but the remainder of the game had to be endured rather than enjoyed. Carlow could only muster one JJ Smith free in response to three Murphy frees as Donegal led by 1-9 to 1-4 after 50 minutes. Christy Toye, who had a fine game, added a point from play after a quickly taken free. The decisive goal came in the 53rd minute. Substitute Brian Roper swung a ball into the square and Conal Dunne dived full length to bundle it into the net and give his side a nine point lead. Donegal should have pushed on strongly from there, but scarred by the Antrim experience many Donegal forwards lacked the confidence to shoot themselves, electing instead to pass the ball from pillar to post. The malaise spread itself to defence too where Karl Lacey attempted a pass back to keeper Paul Durcan only to kick it out for a 45, which Simon Rea duly converted. Carlow were reduced to 14 men when captain Marc Carpenter picked up a second yellow card ten minutes before the end. Murphy added another free, Leo McLoone charged through the middle to get his first of point of the day and his Naomh Conaill clubmate, substitute Darragh Gallagher, added another point on the stroke of full time to extend Donegal’s margin of victory to ten points. So, Donegal’s championship season rumbles forward, but for how much longer? The draw has been as kind as it can be, but Clare will surely provide a much sterner test. A big improvement in performance will be needed if Donegal is to prevail this Saturday night. Donegal: Paul Durcan; Frank McGlynn, Neil McGee, Karl Lacey; Barry Dunnion, Eamon McGee, Michael McGuire; Christy Toye, Kevin Cassidy; Rory Kavanagh, Leo McLoone, David Walsh; Conal Dunne, Michael Murphy, Stephen Griffin. Subs: Barry Monaghan for McGuire (14 mins); Brian Roper for D. Walsh (half-time); Michael Doherty for Dunne (59 mins); Michael Hegarty for Griffin (67 mins); Darragh Gallagher for Murphy (67 mins). Carlow: James Clarke; Kieran Nolan, John Hayden, Shane Redmond; Sean Gannon, Barry English, Stephen Hunter; John Murphy, Willie Minchin; Danny Molloy, JJ Smith, Mark Carpenter; Eric McCormack, Daniel St Ledger, Simon Rea. Sub. Brian Murphy for Molloy (half-time); Vinny Kavanagh for S. Hunter (45 mins); David Phelan for W. Minchin (45 mins); Johnny Kavanagh for E. McCormack (50 mins); Alan Curran for B. English (66 mins). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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