DONEGAL CLOSE TO EDGE 1-16 1-10
Bonner’s men in real danger as Wylie lifts Monaghan to safety
IN THE end, for all its icy discomfort, this result may count for little. Defeat, thanks to Mayo’s demise yesterday, did not mean that Donegal fell though the Division 1 trapdoor and will enjoy home advantage against the Connacht men this Sunday in what is effectively a relegation play-off.
Dublin’s sharing of the spoils with Galway in Salthill sheared Monaghan’s threadbare lifeline of making it to the final but, then, this is a county that can never be accused of getting notions above its station.
It has always been about survival here. Under Malachy O’Rourke, who inherited this group in the League’s third tier, they have defied the predictions of relegation annually so perhaps the penny should really start to drop with their critics.
This win ensures that next season will be their fifth in succession in the top flight, and only the big three of Dublin, Kerry and Mayo can claim longer periods of tenure.
And there was a bonus point claimed yesterday as well, even if it is one not to be found in the league table as they reminded Donegal once more that their ‘bogey team’ status is alive and well.
Since the turn of the century, Monaghan have lost just three games, in 14 League and Championship, to the Tir Chonaill men, and this win served as a timely reminder of their existence to Ulster champions Tyrone.
It was not the only reminder they dished out. O’Rourke, for all that he has achieved, has taken heat from his own constituency over a lack of ambition in his game-plan but, while there have been tweaks, he has stayed true to his belief that without a structured defence his team would sink.
In contrast, the desire from Donegal to return to a more expansive game, in the main motivated by ever diminishing returns over the past few years from their heavily blanketed approach, has come with a price.
They are easier on the eye these days under Declan Bonner, but critically they are also easier to play and score against.
To be f air, the l osers were stronger defensively here but this game still swung on the concession of yet another soft goal — the ninth they’ve let in this spring — within 46 seconds of the restart.
The irony was that the home team’s goal was sourced in concerns at the other end of the field — Ryan Wylie introduced at halftime in a bid to curb the threat of Donegal’s most dangerous forward, Jamie Brennan.
Last year, in his rookie season, Brennan still looked like the kid he was when starring in a minor team that reached the 2014 AllIreland minor; full of pace and trickery but lacking the conviction and strength to go and play.
He is a different and better player this spring, having developed the upper-body strength to fend for himself while not diluting his God-given talents.
He was electric in the first half, torching former All- Star Colin Walshe, but what really impressed is that he turned up when Donegal’s need was greatest.
Playing into a stiff wind and struggling to contain Conor McManus, who made it a rough return to the team for Paddy McGrath, Donegal looked in all kinds of bother when the former fired over two sublime points inside 60 seconds to leave the home team leading by 0-7 to 0-3.
Brennan, with significant support from another former teenage tyro in Niall O’Donnell, hauled Donegal back into it, defying a ridiculous angle to fire past Rory Beggan in the 29th minute.
That was the first goal Monaghan had conceded in this year’s campaign and it looked as if it could cost them the game.
Donegal, despite fielding a weakened team after a virus in their camp saw several regulars drop out, looked to be in the driving seat at half-time, turning around trailing by a point (0-9 to 1-5) with an icy wind at their backs.
But that is a dangerous assumption to make against a Monaghan group which has been defined by its resilience. O’Rourke unearthed an unlikely match-winner in Wylie, sent onto do a job on Brennan.
But before he even got to grips with his core duty, he provided the overlap in a Monaghan move that bore a hole through the heart of the Donegal defence and he slammed the ball to the net.
After that, Monaghan returned to what they do best, shoring up defence while Donegal’s thoughts began to wander to this weekend, where this time there will be a heavy price to be paid for losing. MONAGHAN: R Beggan; C Walshe (R Wylie, ht), C Boyle; B Kerr (D Mone, ht), K Duffy, D Wylie, K O’Connell; D Hughes, N Kearns (A Lynch, 70 & 2); D Ward (P McKenna, 63), D Malone (O Duffy, 51), R McEnspie, D Garland (C McCarthy, 51), K Hughes, C McManus. SCORERS: C McManus 0-5 (3f), R Wylie 1-0, D Garland (3f), R Beggan 0-3; K O’Connell, K Hughes, D Malone, D Mone, C McCarthy 0-1. DONEGAL: S Patton; P McGrath, C Ward (C McGonagle, 64) C Morrison; E Ban Gallagher, F McGlynn (T McCleneghan, 70+1), E Doherty; M Murphy, H McFadden; C McGinley (M O’Reilly, 40), L McLoone (N Mullins, 43), S McBrearty (C Thompson, 48), N O’Donnell, M Langan (D O’Connor, 56), J Brennan. Scorers: J Brennan 1-2, M Murphy 0-5 (5f), E Ban Gallagher, N O’Donnell, C Thompson 0-1. Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).