The goal that started the Donegal-Tyrone rivalry under Jim McGuinness revisited

The uncomplicated freedom of youth. Donegal and Tyrone are level with minutes left in an Ulster semi-final. Dermot ‘Brick’ Molloy is fed the ball in behind the Tyrone defence. A point will put Donegal into the Ulster final but Molloy drills the ball low to the net past Pascal McConnell.

It was a significant day as it marked the start of the Jim McGuinness and Donegal dominance over Mickey Harte’s Tyrone. It was significant that the Tyrone captain that day was Brian Dooher, who has taken over the reins in the Red Hand county from Harte.

Thirteen years later there will be a second re-enactment of the McGuinness-Tyrone rivalry when the sides meet in MacCumhaill Park on Saturday evening and the man who showed nerves of steel that day in Clones can look back with some pride on securing the win.

Dermot Molloy is still a regular for his club Naomh Conaill and he vividly remembers that vital moment in 2011.

“A lot of people have said that to me over the years and I think Peter Canavan on the BBC said ‘I can’t believe Brick didn’t go for a point’.

“But to be honest, I was young and at that time; that was my bread and butter. If I was in a goalscoring position I tended to go for them and I tended to get them. Maybe as the years go on, you might think about it.

“I remember when I got the ball, I kept thinking keep it down because Pascal (McConnell) is a big man. He did get a slight touch to it but I knew it was going in. Look, it was a brilliant moment and a great win for the team.

“To be honest, we knew that was the Ulster final and that was no disrespect to Derry. We went into the final knowing that we weren’t going to slip up. It was months and months about Tyrone and Jim reminding us about them going for the three in-a-row. It was just brilliant to get over the line that day.”

It was the start of a special time for Donegal but for Dermot Molloy, it all happened the year before in 2010 with the U-21s.

“It was my first year and I was just turning 19 at the time. The vibes I was getting from Michael (Murphy) and Leo (McLoone) was this was different. They were training in November, December time. It was the case before that they were in a month or two before the actual championship.

“Jim had everyone on board for that campaign. For us, we had known Jim as we had been with him in the club for the previous few years so we knew what he was about. But it was a great buzz back then for the county because things were at such a low for the senior team. Obviously we had that bad day up in Crossmaglen.

“I suppose the only positive from that year was that we did win an U-21 championship and we got to an All-Ireland final and we just beaten by the kick of a ball. And it was probably the right time then for Jim to get the job.

“When he did get the job and the championship draw was made, everything was just lined to Tyrone. Every night out it was Mickey Harte and Tyrone and it remained that way every night until we played them. It was just constant Tyrone, because they were the benchmark.”

Donegal firstly overcame Antrim without playing well. “That gave everyone confidence because Antrim had beaten us in Ballybofey in 2009 and Down in 2010 so Ballybofey was becoming a place where teams were getting the upper hand on us, so it was crucial so we got that out of ourselves again and making Ballybofey a tough place to come to.

“We had Cavan next and we had it comfortable that day. I think that was a wet day as well as far as I remember. Patrick (McBrearty) might have started that day for the first time; he may have started ahead of me that day. It was great for him and he had such a great debut and it’s amazing he is still there now.

“It was all  leading then to Tyrone. And from the first meeting that Jim had with us in the hotel (in Rosapenna) it was a case that it was leading to Tyrone. This was the day for us to make a breakthrough, in terms of knocking out a big team like Tyrone. They were the best team in Ulster at the time, going for the three in-a-row.”

Molloy remembers that present manager Brian Dooher was Tyrone captain and many of their players had been idols of his.

“I always look back on it and I remember us going out to the field, boys around my age, we grew up actually adoring Owen Mulligan, Brian Dooher, Sean Kavanagh, all these great players. And you were going up against them that day. Dooher was obviously coming to the end of his best days, but again they got off to such a good start, that game could have got away from us very handily in the first half.

“We managed to stay in it and I remember Kevin (Cassidy) kicked a big point towards the end of the first half. Jim got us in at half-time and got us settled down again.

“He said we were playing Russian Roulette here with your Ulster championship medal and that was the kind of way it was.

“It was a matter for Jim telling us to get back to basics. We got off to a good start in the second half Karl (Lacey) made a great run for Colm’s (McFadden’s goal) and we defended a lot better in the second half too; that real principle that Jim laid down, that blueprint came really to the fore.

“Going into the crunch moment then. I remember Paddy McGrath and Karl turned over a great ball on Martin Penrose and we managed to get up the field. I remember Patrick (McBrearty) gave a ball, that I always say, it was a ball only Michael Murphy could win. I think it was Dermot Carlin that went for it but Murphy just threw the body at him and the ball flipped into his hands.

“Luckily, I was poaching in behind. It was great play by Michael, but look, I was lucky to be on the end of it. Thankfully, it went in.”

Dermot Molloy celebrates with Colm McFadden after scoring the winning goal in 2011 Picture: Sportsfile

Not everything ran smoothly for Jim McGuinness and Donegal in 2011 as there was conflict with the fixtures committee who had a round of senior championship games fixed for the week after the Tyrone win. 

“I think that was the game where Leo (McLoone) broke the jaw. We had Glenswilly in that early round of games. 

“Yeah, things have changed since then. It was tough back  then because Jim wanted every player 100 per cent dedicated to the cause. But you know yourself, Naomh Conaill, means even more than Donegal. We have always said that playing for Naomh Conaill will always be the biggest highlight for us. It’s who we grew up with, it’s family and friends.

“It wasn’t easy leaving the club boys because they expected us to be at training and that’s always been the case and is still the case, if the county boys are off, they are expected to be down.

“It was definitely a difficult time for Jim as well. I know first hand it was difficult for him to see club fixtures going on at that time and him preparing for an Ulster final.

“It was crazy now looking back on it. It would never happen now with the split season. We have definitely gone up a peg in that respect.”

Contrasting 2011 to this year with Jim McGuinness releasing players who had little or no involvement on match day to play league games for their clubs is something which Molloy agrees with.

“I think it’s a good thing. Back in 2011, a lot has changed. Jim had 30 players back then and that was it. That was the circle and it wasn’t going to be broken.

“But now it’s a case if you’re not getting a game on the Saturday, you’re going to get some time with the club. It’s great for the lads. It’s hard  to beat football.

“Obviously things have moved on in terms of sports science and it’s good for the players to get a game. It’s always great to see the county boys coming in. We have been lucky to have Charlie (McGuinness) play two games this year with us and I think Odhran Doherty Jeaic (Mac Ceallabhuí) have got a half after the Derry game.

“The boys, at the end of the day, want football. They don’t want to be out by themselves running on a Sunday, they want to be playing a game,  getting the work in.”

Asked if he has noticed any other changes since 2011, he says: “There are a lot of similar traits. I remember when Dublin beat us in 2011 Jim coming into the dressing room saying Dublin were in phenomenal shape and being in their dressing room and looking around and saying every one of them was absolutely ripped. In strength and conditioning, they were well ahead of us.

“And then a year later I remember Jack O’Connor (Kerry manager) saying in our dressing room after we beat them in the quarter-final that he couldn’t get over the conditioning of this Donegal team.

“So it probably switched in a year; we put in a lot of work in the gym that year.

“But now when you look at it, every single player is at that level all around the country, not just in Donegal. It’s very hard now in club football to pick out the county player because everyone is built the same.

“I think 10, 12 years ago, you could go to a club game in Donegal and you could pick out what four or five boys were in the county team because of their conditioning.

“I think everything has changed over the last 10-11 years. That is one of the stand-out memories, how it changed for us in a year. And now it is the norm.”

And Molloy is enjoying the fact that Donegal are once again back in the mix regarding the great rivalries in Ulster

“It is great to see Ulster football at such a great ebb again. The likes of Derry and Tyrone and Armagh, such exciting teams. And with Jim back in now, it has given Donegal a great lift again.”

He has not been at all surprised by the fact that Donegal are now one of the teams to beat in championship once more.

“That’s the thing about Jim McGuinness’s teams down the years, whether it be club or county. You are always in the fight. Jim instils that in the team anyway. It’s very easy to throw in the towel the last day in Clones; Armagh are four up, passes are going astray, boys are slipping. But you could just see the mindset of the players. It was just, ‘we are going at this and it’s going to come good’. And that’s exactly what happened.

“Looking back now, Derry was just the perfect draw. It was set up for the ambush,” said Molloy, who said the defeat has been a big setback for Derry as seen in Salthill last weekend.

“Obviously, the Tyrone game was a very tough battle, but you expect that from Tyrone anyway. They always go to the edge. I knew it was a tough game after the Derry win but I felt it was a matter of getting over the line,” said Molloy who felt that Donegal made their own luck in the final against Armagh, coming from four down.

“It was great to see that and it will be a huge boost down the line.

“Tyrone did have the upper hand on us in Ballybofey in the recent past. Saturday’s game is a tricky game and it’s going to be a real dogfight.

“Looking at it, and no disrespect to Cork or Clare, realistically you would be thinking whoever wins this game on Saturday night will top the group and that would give them a week’s break before the quarter-finals.

“I think it’s a massive game. We saw last year that the teams that had the week off got a massive break. I don’t think there will be much caginess on Saturday evening. Both teams will go for it.

“I just fancy Donegal. The confidence from winning the Ulster championship will give them a big kick, but I don’t expect there will be any more than a point in it at the end.”

Looking at the new-look Donegal team, Molloy has been impressed by a number of players.

“I was very impressed with Ciaran Moore in the first two games. His first Ulster final was a difficult day for him, but he’s a good young footballer with pace and power and he definitely caught the eye.

“It is great to see Jason McGee back playing well and with a great fitness level. Obviously the experienced players like Ryan (McHugh) and Ciaran (Thompson) are still doing well. 

“I was very impressed with Niall O’Donnell in the Ulster final. I was at the game and I thought he had a great second half but when I went home and watched it again, he had a brilliant first half as well.

“I also thought Odhran Doherty showed what he is capable of when his big moment came along. It was  a crunch moment and I knew when Shaun (Patton) hit the ball over to him he would go for it. He does it for us all the time,” said Molloy.

However, the standout player for the Naomh Conaill stalwart has to be full-forward Oisin Gallen. “He is the kind of player you love watching, he makes the hair stand out; a clinical finisher and he knows what he’s at. It is nice to have players like that again after (Michael) Murphy.  He is still young and you can only imagine what he can do in the next few years.”

Back in 2011 there were six Naomh Conaill players involved - Anthony Thompson, Leo McLoone, Dermot Molloy, Marty Boyle, Eoin Waide and Darragh Gallagher. 

The number in 2024 is still impressive with five - Ciaran Thompson, Odhran Doherty, Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí, Kevin McGettigan and Charles McGuinness.