Donegal 1-9

Galway 1-9

Alan Foley reports from Letterkenny 

DONEGAL WERE TRAILING to a fisted effort from Rob Finnerty before Jason McGee levelled and Paul Conroy was out of luck with a tricky free to win it for Galway, which tailed just wide.

Donegal were five up in the first half and didn’t score for a whole 35 minutes as Galway got ahead by two late. It took until the 21st minute for a lead of more than two for either side, with Donegal goalkeeper Shaun Patton piercing over a 50-metre free to put the home side 0-5 to 0-3 in front.

Oisin Gallen – just about – tucked home a penalty. Conor Gleeson, the Galway goalkeeper, was inches away from saving the kick, getting a strong hand on it only for the ball to squirm over the line.

The penalty had been awarded against John Daly, who had fetched a fluffed effort from O’Donnell on his goalline only to be penalised for a throw by referee David Coldrick. It meant for a 1-5 to 0-3 Donegal advantage, which, Galway managed to eat into with 43 seconds.

Man of the match Matthew Tierney grabbed possession and ran right at the heart of the Donegal defence to shoot past Patton.

It was certainly the jolt in the arm the Connacht side needed, although it was Donegal who went in 1-6 to 1-3 in front, with Michael Langan hitting the point of the half with a classy long-range effort.

Finnerty helped Padraig Joyce’s team get on terms by the 52nd minutes, scoring either side of a Paul Conroy free and quality left-footed Tierney point. Donegal wing-back Caolan McColgan made a goal-saving tackle on Finnerty and when Conroy tucked over his second free of the half on 57, it meant the lead of 1-7 to 1-6, with Donegal stacking up the wides and twice hitting the upright.Tierney then made it a two-point game.

Gallen’s point with three to play halved the deficit and then, like the London buses as the saying goes, O’Donnell levelled it up with 90 seconds left. Both teams would add on more but the parity was to remain.

Donegal scorers: Oisin Gallen 1-2, 1-0 pen; Conor O’Donnell 0-2; Jamie Brennan, Caolan McGonagle, Michael Langan, Jason McGee 0-1 each; Shaun Patton 0-1, 1f.

Galway scorers: Matthew Tierney 1-3, 45; Paul Conroy 0-2, 2f; Rob Finnerty 0-2; Cathal Sweeney and Peter Cooke 0-1 each.

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Mark Curran, Brendan McCole, Martin O’Reilly; Caolan McColgan, Stephen McMenamin, Eoghan Ban Gallagher; Caolan McGonagle, Jason McGee; Michael Langan, Daire Ó Baoill, Conor O’Donnell; Hugh McFadden, Oisin Gallen, Jamie Brennan. Subs: Peadar Mogan for O’Reilly (half-time), Rory O’Donnell for McFadden (60), John McGroddy for Ó Baoill (67)

Galway: Conor Gleeson; Jack Glynn, Sean Kelly, Eoghan Kelly; Dylan McHugh, John Daly, Cathal Sweeney; Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid; Matthew Tierney, Peter Cooke, Johnny Heaney; Patrick Kelly, Gerard Davoren, Ian Burke. Subs: Rob Finnerty for Davoren (half-time), John Maher and Ryan Monaghan for Cooke and P Kelly (49), Dessie Conneely for McDaid (55).

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)

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