Mickey Harte left to rethink 'keeper tactic as Donegal send Derry to qualifiers

Mickey Harte was left to rue a persistence with 'fly-keeper' Odhran Lynch.

Donegal ruthlessly punished Lynch's positioning, far from the radars of the small square, by bagging in four goals.

Derry could do little about Oisin Gallen's penalty, but Jim McGuinness's Donegal ruthlessly capitalised on Lynch's roaming – helped along by booming kick-outs by Shaun Patton and, later, his replacement Gavin Mulreany.

Donegal were 4-11 to 0-17 winners in the Derry sunshine to send the Oak Leaf, the defending Ulster champions, packing their bags for the qualifiers.

“You have to review everything and certainly things that cost you dearly, you have to review,” Derry boss Harte said after Lynch was beaten, twice by Daire Ó Baoill and once by Jamie Brennan.

“It doesn't say that it's not the right thing to do. There are days when it will be an effective method to play. Obviously today was one that wasn't.

“It's a danger when there is a person on the other side who has a boom of a kick-out. It is a risk-reward thing and the risk far outweighed the reward.

We knew that it was a distinct possibility, but we felt that we had enough people back there to deal with it.

“We didn't deal with it well and it cost us very dearly. It would seem very strange that you wouldn't be ready for that, but we felt that we were ready for that. It was something we could anticipate happening, but we didn't deal with it well.

“We have to figure out when and where we can do that again – if at all.”

In the opening moments of the contest, Derry were on top but Donegal grew into the evening, bit by bit and Ó Baoill's opening goal in the 19^th minute was a massive turning point.

Energised again by McGuinness's return, Donegal were in front all the way after Ryan McHugh whipped them ahead in the 15^th minute.

When Ó Baoill lobbed Lynch again in the early passages of the second half, it arrived like a spear through Harte's very arteries.

Harte said: “Donegal were definitely sharper: sharper for the second ball; sharper for the turnover.

“You have to hand it to Donegal, they came here with a very clear mind about how they were going to play and how they were going to create the opportunities to win the game.

“Apart from their ability to cut you on the break, they were getting lots of bodies behind the ball and it was going to be very hard to break down.

“You can't afford to be behind by a good stretch when you're dealing with that. You need to get your nose in front and then there is a chance to create more openings if they come at you. The goals meant that they could play the game on their terms.”