McShea's Say: Resilience sees Donegal prevail against Tyrone 

Gaelic football’s positioning has become less rigid over the years.  

One was that the corner-forward, unless he had been specifically deputed with a roving role, stayed within scoring distance of the opposing goal, and the corner-back stood close to him.  

When the ball was in the other half, the players jogged around, perhaps made some mild attempts to intimidate each other, and didn't get involved in the play until the next attack was mounted.  

On Sunday against Tyrone Donegal full-back Brendan Mc Cole bombed forward from defence to score Donegal's equalising point to secure extra-time and keep his team in the Ulster championship.  

In a tight game with a huge amount at stake, McCole, in taking this risk, did damage Tyrone’s morale which was incalculable. Tyrone thought they had everyone covered, and who came up to kick the ball over the bar? The full-back!  

That is just not supposed to happen! The clash between McCole and Darragh Canavan, two awesomely talented and competitive players, was expected to have a major impact on the outcome of this match, but the Donegal full-back did a top-class job in subduing the input of Tyrone’s best forward.  

The wild Donegal celebrations that put the nail in the coffin probably had as much to do with the identity of the scorer as the importance of the score. Donegal prevailed in this game because of their desire, their pride in the jersey, and their resilience.  

After what could only be described as a poor first half performance, no doubt manager Jim McGuinness delivered quite a few home truths about that first-half effort when the team returned to the dressing room for their break.  

The first-half of this game was genuinely startling. It was shocking how sharp, how hungry, and how good Tyrone were from the first whistle, and it was equally shocking how flat and slow Donegal looked. The two teams were operating at completely different levels.  

Tyrone was fast, focused, and very skillful. Every pass found a free man, every flick went right, and every Tyrone player in possession had a couple of options.  

In contrast, Donegal kicked a number of wides from wild and unnecessary scoring positions, while also hitting three poor efforts into Niall Morgan’s chest.  

At half time the mood among the great Donegal support was one of grave concern. In a game that may not have satisfied the purists, there was passion and drama but few goal-scoring chances.  

Niall Morgan in the nets had a wonderful game for Tyrone, he hit three points from frees, while his diagonal 50-yard pass to Ciaran Daly was simply football of the highest quality. In what was a most impressive team performance Mattie Donnelly also played a blinder and clearly showed that in spite of a recent serious injury, he has much to offer to Brian Dooher’s side.  

Without Seán Patton in goal, Gavin Mulreany did not let his side down as the Letterkenny man’s replacement, but Patton, because of his superb tactical kicking, was a major loss to his team.  

Morgan in goal was arguably Tyrone’s best player, his creative distribution was of the highest order and Patton brings the same quality to this Donegal team, a quality which was clearly in evidence in the demolition job against Derry the previous week.  

Donegal did show much improvement and character after the tea break, and twice came back from a three-point deficit. Beside McCole, young Mark Curran held Darren McCurry scoreless from play, something many more experienced defenders have not achieved.  

Ryan McHugh again excelled, particularly in the second half, and he is one player that I like to see on the ball as his ability to do something constructive when in possession is well documented.  

Caolan McGonagle, while not as dominant as he was against Derry, once again delivered a big performance when Donegal needed him most.  

Because of Morgan’s quality kicking, midfield was largely by passed in the first half. Jason McGee hit two great points in that second half and won lots of quality ball at vital stages of the second half.  

Peadar Mogan is now a player of extreme consistency, he simply does not play quiet games, and he has the ability to hit a quality score when his side needs it most.  

In attack even though they scored 18 points, Donegal lacked fluency at times. Niall O’Donnell after a quiet opening when his team only scored five first-half points, but the St Eunan’s man had an excellent second period. His work rate and distribution was of the highest order, while beside him Daire Ó Baoill made another big contribution to his team's victory.  

For Donegal, there is no time for celebrations. It’s time for preparation. There was no cup handed out last Sunday, but this Ulster final between Donegal and Armagh should be a classic.  

To put Derry and Tyrone to the sword in the last two weeks was a major achievement and represents significant progress over the last year.  

Clones has a unique atmosphere on Ulster final day and holds some great memories for Donegal followers and many players. I simply love spending Ulster final day in the Monaghan town, and our players and management team deserve great credit for putting Donegal football back on the map in such a significant fashion.