Donegal’s promotion hopes all but ended by Tyrone in MacCumhaill Park

Donegal’s hopes of making an immediate jump back to Division 1 were as good as ended by Tyrone after a five-point loss to their Red Hand rivals in Ballybofey. 

Tyrone sit second behind Kildare with John McNulty’s team now six points off the coattails of their neighbours and promotion rivals. 

With two rounds left to play, Donegal go away to both Cavan and Tipperary and will need maximum points there to stand a chance. 

Even then, they’re going to need favours elsewhere as Tyrone host Kildare and travel away to Cavan in their remaining fixtures.  

Donegal had coughed up goals in three of their previous four outings and that weakness again came back to haunt them in MacCumhaill Park.  

They trailed 2-9 to 1-6 at the changeover and while a good start to the second-half left them one green flag in arrears at 1-9 to 2-9, the visitors would lift the tempo once more in the final quarter to run out deserving winners. 

Back at the start, both sides were on the mark inside the first two minutes when Zoe Loughran - going for goal - had her effort tipped up and over by Clare Friel before Shannon McLaughlin got up the field for the hosts to level. 

In a lively opening, Susanne White then pushed Donegal in front with a close-range free, hard-earned by the running of Jodie McFadden. 

The Termon girl then got her name on the scoresheet on six minutes as McNulty’s charges jumped 0-3 to 0-1 clear. Tyrone came back up the other side of the field to halve the deficit through Emma Conroy. 

On nine minutes, the visitors stole a real march as Loughran again got through and while Friel did brilliantly to initially save that effort, the same player followed through to palm the first of three three-pointers. 

The busy Friel also had to be alert moments later to prevent a second maximum as she pawed away Aoife Horisk’s drive. 

With the pendulum moving consistently, Susanne White was played in by Nicole Gordon and while Caitlin Donnelly got down well to save, Niamh McLaughlin followed up to roll to the back of the net. 

With matters tied at 1-3 apiece Loughran, stationed at wing forward, nabbed a quickfire brace as the Red Hands again led. 

And bordering the quarter-hour mark, midfielder Aoibhinn McHugh lobbed over to increase the gap to three.  

Caitlin Campbell would progress from wing back to leave it 1-7 to 1-3 on 17 minutes but with White winning and converting from a free, the tide was stemmed. 

White added another over after she raced in along the line to fist Donegal onto 1-5 but a cheap free coughed up close to goal allowed Maria Canavan to once again put three between the teams.

Donegal’s porous rearguard was evident again however on 22 minutes as Chloe McCaffery was allowed to travel in from the left and plant in a second Tyrone goal. 

Both sides failed to register for the next ten minutes before Tyrone’s Canavan broke that baron spell. And with White managing to grab her fourth of the opening period on the stroke of half-time, six points split the sides at the break. 

Donegal started the new half in encouraging fashion as McFadden landed her second. They got the rub of the green on 41 minutes when Caitlin McCallion’s attempt to fist pass inside ended up in the net. 

Tyrone felt it got a nick off at least one Donegal player on the way through but after some consultation with his umpires, the man in charge ruled it out. 

A brilliant solo effort from White as well as an over from substitute Katie Dowds left just a goal in it on 45 minutes at 1-9 to 2-9. 

Canavan finally got Tyrone motoring again in the second period a full 17 minutes in and with Conroy also registering, 2-11 now led 1-9 with ten to go.  

McFadden was on the mark once more for Donegal to leave four in it. But with five to go a Conroy effort that came back off the upright was collected by Loughran and with the advancing Friel upending her, a penalty was awarded. 

The Donegal custodian was sin-binned as a result and Canavan would convert the subsequent chance from the spot. Donegal would bring the curtain down with the final two points of the game thanks to McFadden and White. 

However, it was Tyrone that departed with the points and, more importantly, their promotion bid still firmly on track. 

Donegal scorers: Susanne White 0-6,2f; Niamh McLaughlin 1-0; Jodie McFadden 0-4,1f; Shannon McLaughlin 0-1; Katie Dowds 0-1. 

Tyrone scorers: Zoe Loughran 1-3; Chloe McCaffery 1-1; Maria Canavan 1-3,1PEN,,2f; Emma Conroy 0-2; Caitlin Campbell 0-1; Aoibhinn McHugh 0-1.

Donegal: Clare Friel; Shannon McLaughlin, Abigail Temple Asokuh, Evelyn McGinley; Caoimhe Keon, Nicole Gordon, Tara Hegarty; Róisín Rodgers, Niamh Boyle; Jodie McFadden, Niamh McLaughlin, Katie Long; Susanne White, Katy Herron, Amy Boyle Carr.

Subs: Katie Dowds for N Boyle (27); Aoife Gallagher for Long and Laoise Ryan for Gordon (ht); Orla Corey for Herron (55).

Tyrone: Caitlin Donnelly; Jayne Lyons, Joanne Barrett, Zoe Loughran; Caitlin Campbell, Meabh Corrigan, Emma Mulgrew; Meabh Mallon, Aoibhinn McHugh; Aoife Horisk, Emma Jane Gervin, Chloe McCaffery; Emma Conroy, Maria Canavan, Clara Daly. 

Subs: Aine Strain for C McCaffery (27); Katie Rose Muldoon for C Campbell (51); Aine Grimes for E Conroy (59), Eimear Quinn for Lyons (60+1).

Referee: Philip Conway (Armagh).