Report: Rampant Roscommon condemn Donegal to defeat

TWO HUDDLES formed at the final shrill of Padraig Hughes’s whistle that told the story in a perfect picture.

Donegal 0-17 Roscommon 1-19

Roscommon’s players took the pats of their supporters on their backs while, a little behind them, Donegal’s stood around their manager, Rory Gallagher, after a second defeat in a row.

While Donegal made a good fist of things in an entertaining second half, the damage had been done in the first, when Donegal were very fortunate to be only five behind.

Picture caption: Eamon McGee battles with Roscommon’s Senan Kilbride during the’s game. Picture by Evan Logan

Cathal Cregg’s goal in the 59^th minute sent Roscommon hurtling towards the semi-finals.

Newly-promoted Roscommon have taken the top flight by storm and the only gripe they’ll have here is how difficult they made it for themselves having been well on top.

Odhrán Mac Niallais’ sending off, just when Donegal were in the middle of a fightback, took the wind from the Tir Chonaill sails and defeat here continues a poor record at O’Donnell Park.

Since senior intercounty football returned to the Sallaghagrane venue in 2007, Donegal have now won only twice in 13 games – against Kerry in 2007 and Monaghan in 2014.

After Mac Niallais’ dismissal, when he was yellow carded twice in a minute, Patrick McBrearty took the gap down to two, but Cregg cracked a magnificent strike past Peter Boyle from 20 metres to ignite the fire in Roscommon.

Seanie McDermott, the experienced Roscommon defender, spoke in the lead-up to this one, about his side’s new-found ‘cuteness’ and ‘maturity’ – and they showed it in spades here.

Superb scores by Conor Devaney and Fintan Cregg (2) kept the wolf from the door late in the day to leave Roscommon looking up and Donegal wondering just where it’s all gone wrong following a blistering start to the term that yielded three wins from three.

Donegal gave first starts of the year to Neil Gallagher and Martin McElhinney, with Karl Lacey appearing for the first time in 2016.

Ciaran Murtagh landed two points after the opening score by Niall Daly as Roscommon took the baton from the off and Donegal scored just once – a free from Patrick McBrearty – inside 20 minutes.

Eamon McGee returned to a Donegal that was without Neil McGee. Although Donegal lodged an appeal for a hearing against a proposed one-match ban for the full-back to the CCCC on Friday, a broken nose sustained in Tralee prevented him from featuring.

The absence of the Gaoth Dobhair man from and his importance to the full-back line was laid bare early on with Ryan McHugh moved into corner back after 12 minutes, stationed on Cian Connolly.

Eamon McGee’s witrhdrawal in the 32^nd minute left Donegal lacking in the height department around the house and the goal chances given up by Donegal in the opening stanza were worrying for all sorts of reasons.

By the time McGee was taken ashore, Roscommon were 0-5 to 0-1 in front and they could actually have been out of site with Peter Boyle, the Donegal goalkeeper, twice keeping the visitors at bay.

Boyle saved from Connolly after his initial fisted effort came off an upright and the Aodh Ruadh man then denied Senan Kilbride, who seemed certain to rattle the net.

Niall Daly was having a field day in the middle of the mark and landed three points in the opening 25 minutes, with Roscommon surging into a 0-8 to 0-2 lead.

Daly could have put the game out of Donegal’s reach when he scampered free, having latched onto Conor Daly’s pass in the 28^th minute but, with only Boyle to beat, he screwed his shot well off target.

Two fress by Ciaran Murtagh, either end of a free by Fintan Cregg, had Roscommon seven in front and it felt like a trick of the mind that Donegal were within five points at the changeover.

Late frees from Murphy and McBrearty sent them in with a chance when just moments previously there had been echoes of that spring afternoon in 2010 when Armagh led here by ten points at half-time in a game they won 2-16 to 0-6.

With Michael Murphy at the hub of it all, Donegal threatened to derail the Roscommon express.

Donegal captain Murphy gave away possession and Roscommon soared through the middle with Cathal Cregg drilling to the net in style.

Conor Devaney, Fintan Cregg (2) and Enda Smith added points to add Donegal to a list of scalps that already included Kerry, Cork and Down.

Donegal: Peter Boyle; Eamonn Doherty, Eamon McGee, Paddy McGrath; Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Ryan McHugh, Eoin McHugh; Rory Kavanagh, Neil Gallagher; Anthony Thompson, Martin McElhinney, Odhrán Mac Niallais; Patrick McBrearty, Michael Murphy, Martin O’Reilly. Subs: Mark McHugh for Thompson (19), Karl Lacey for McGee (32), Christy Toye for N.Gallagher (half-time), Stephen McBrearty for McElhinney (50), Neil Gallagher for E.Gallagher (66).

Roscommon: Geoffrey Claffey; Niall McInerney, Neil Collins, Sean McDermott; Ronan Stack, Sean Purcell, David Murray; Fintan Cregg, Niall Daly; Conor Daly, Ciaran Murtagh, Conor Devaney; Cian Connolly, Senan Kilbride, Cathal Cregg. Subs: Niall Kilroy for C.Daly (black card, 35), Enda Smith for Connolly (52), Cathal Compton for N.Daly (56), John McManus for Stack (66).

Referee: Padraig Hughes (Armagh).