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Donegal clinch Ulster title beating Armagh in dramatic shootout

Updated / Sunday, 12 May 2024 22:31

Donegal won an epic Ulster SFC final in a dramatic penalty shootout, with goalkeeper Shaun Patton denying Shane McPartlan with a title-clinching sudden death save, edging it 6-5 on spot kicks, after the sides had been deadlocked on 0-20 each after extra-time at Clones.

This was a memorable decider that ebbed, flowed and fortified the argument for the retention of the provincial championships as thousands of ecstatic Tír Chonaill fans invaded the St Tiernach's Park pitch to share in the joy that their heroes emotionally exuded.

A first title since 2019, masterminded by Jim McGuinness in his second coming as manager, has breathed fresh life into a county dogged by difficult times of late, including a spell in Division Two of the Allianz League. For Armagh it was Ulster final shootout heartache on the double after last year’s loss on penalties to Derry.

Armagh will look back on this loss with bitter regrets that they were unable to hold on to a four point lead with 15 minutes of normal time remaining.

Without an Ulster crown since 2008, they came so close, but will take heart from the quality of this display as they turn their heads to an All-Ireland round robin first round clash with Westmeath, while the newly crowned champions are set for a rematch with Tyrone, who also took them to extra-time in this year’s championship.

In front of a capacity crowd of 29,000, from the moment Aidan Forker swept over Armagh’s opener in the first minute, the quality of score-taking from both sides was quite breathtaking.

Making the most efficient possible use of the inches of space available, Peadar Mogan, Oisin Gallen and Shane O’Donnell found the target with grace and style, while Rory Grugan, Oisin Conaty and Conor Turbitt did likewise for the Orchard.

Conaty and Turbitt used their pace to put the Donegal men on the back foot, while displaying energy to get up and down the park.

They conceded the Donegal kick-out for most of the half, allowing their opponents to build from deep, going two ahead through O'Donnell, and maintaining that two point cushion with an O’Baoill effort.

But a couple of delightful scores from livewire Turbitt, followed by an Andrew Murnin effort, had the sides level by the 20 minute mark.

Ciaran Mackin, pressing from deep, became more influential for the Orchard as the half progressed, landing on Stefan Campbell’s shoulder to pop over a point, and playing a bit part in Ben Crealey’s score as they went ahead on 28 minutes.

Another mighty score from Galle - his fourth - had the sides level for the sixth time, but Ben Crealey’s mark sent the Orchard in with a 0-10 to 0-09 advantage.

Following a downpour, Armagh opted to bombard their opponents with long range delivery of the greasy ball, and with Conaty ready to take on defenders at every opportunity, they had a nervous Donegal rearguard on the back foot.

He danced through for his second score, and Stefan Campbell, equally willing to use his pace and trickery, edged them into a four point lead.

Going into the final quarter, Jim McGuinness was badly in need of scores, and committed more of his troops to the offensive effort.

Niall O'Donnell popped up in pockets of space to create and execute with a terrific point, and as they chipped away at the Orchard lead, skipper Paddy McBrearty, off the bench for a final push, found himself in acres of space on the 45 metre line to arrow over the equaliser.

Another 10 minutes of feverishly committed defending, mainly by Armagh, who had Mackin and Forker, with a cheeky rob on McBrearty, to thank for getting them out of sticky situations, failed to produce a winner.

Deadlocked on 0-15 each, Armagh shaded the first spell of extra-time by the odd point in five, boosted by the fresh legs of substitutes Jarly Óg Burns and Aidan Nugent, with two assists and two points respectively.

Nugent kicked the Orchard two ahead, but Donegal’s famous fighting spirit came on strongly in the end, with Daire O’Baoill and Odhran Doherty, with the game’s tenth equaliser, sending an epic tie to penalties, Ulster’s finest inseparable at 0-20 each.

The quality of the penalty-taking matched the game itself, with Ciaran Thompson, Aaron Doherty, Michael Langan, Jason McGee and Daire O Baoill netting for Donegal, while Armagh’s kicks were drilled home by Shane McPartlan, Oisin Conaty,, Conor Turbitt, Aidan Nugent and Tiernan Kelly.

Sudden death pressure was no problem for Doherty second time round, but McPartlan saw his kick saved by Patton.

Donegal: S Patton; M Curran, B McCole, C Moore; R McHugh, C McGonagle, P Mogan (0-02); J McGee (0-01), M Langan (0-01); S O’Donnell (0-02), C Thompson, D O Baoill (0-02); E Ban Gallagher, O Gallen (0-06, 2f), N O’Donnell (0-02).

Subs: C McColgan for Curran (h-t), P McBrearty (0-02, 1f) for Moore (41), A Doherty for O Baoill (46), J Brennan for Gallagher (54), J McKelvey (0-01) for Thompson (66), O Doherty (0-01) for Gallen (72), O Baoill for O’Donnell (81), Thompson for McBrearty (87)

Armagh: B Hughes; P Burns, A McKay, P McGrane; J McElroy, C Mackin (0-01), A Forker (0-01); R O’Neill (0-01, m), B Crealey (0-02, 1m); S Campbell (0-02), R Grugan (0-01), G McCabe; O Conaty (0-02), A Murnin (0-02), C Turbitt (0-04).

Subs: J Og Burns for McCabe (60), O O’Neill (0-01) for Crealey (65), A Nugent (0-03, 1f) for Turbitt (66), T Kelly for Forker (70), J Duffy for McElroy (71), J Hall for McGrane (78), S McPartlan for Mackin (81), Turbitt for R O’Neill(85)

Refereee: M McNally (Monaghan)

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