*Manus Doherty’s first half goal chance is stopped. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
DONEGAL have dumped Clare out of the All-Ireland SFC as the Ulster champions dished out a hammering on Saturday afternoon.
Donegal 2-23
Clare 0-5
Venue: Hastings Insurance McHale Park, Castlebar
Twenty four points separated the teams at the final whistle, there can be no complaints with the result from Clare’s perspective but it makes the trip home far much longer than the journey to Mayo.
It started on an optimistic note for Clare with Emmet McMahon nailing a free from a tricky angle after Micheál Garry was fouled but things soon began to disintegrate and at a rapid pace.
First they were hit by the concession of a goal when Ryan McHugh struck the ball to the roof of the net and then an immediate opportunity to respond was spurned. Clare broke well with the ball, Gavin Murray was bearing down towards the danger area but fumbled the ball, play was retrieved but miscommunication between Cillian Rouine and Aaron Griffin allowed Donegal to regain possession and deprive Clare of a response.
McMahon’s free was Clare’s only contribution to the scoreboard in the opening half. Of their eight scoring chances in the first half, that white flag was their only return, at any level that is below par, never mind the All-Ireland SFC against the Ulster champions.
That it took Clare 54 minutes to score from play is a statement in itself, it’s made worse by the fact that it was Clare’s only score from play.
Donegal meanwhile used the ball well, recycled to a waiting teammate and were far more clinical when it came to splitting the posts. There was a clear gulf in class between the sides with Clare’s continued trend of basic unforced errors unfortunately remaining as consistent as ever.
They added to Clare’s misery with an early second half goal when Oisin Gallen rounded Tristan O’Callaghan on thirty nine minutes to tap home. Both goals were of the soft variety.
Of the 5,207 spectators in Mayo, a predominant ninety percent of whom were from Donegal, they will testify that a training session would have been more beneficial to the Ulster champions.
On the Clare side, this is the darkest hour at senior level for a long time as the final scoreline clearly underlines.
To trot out the line that thirteen of last year’s panel have been departed would be a total injustice to the 2024 panel who have devoted every ounce of their free time to the county cause, that was a valid excuse to use during the National Football League as Clare missed out on promotion on the final day.
Granted there was a big setback within the camp when vice captain Stephen Ryan was ruled out through injury but it was evident that Clare lacked self-belief in this tie and it took only the concession of the goal and the immediate missed chance for them to lose confidence. They were of course not helped by the complete lack of support from the Clare public for this contest.
At times early on Clare worked the ball well and did their best when running at their opponents, the proof of this resulting in their goal chance when corner back Manus Doherty was denied by Shaun Patton but Clare spurned the 45m resulting kick.
The aim for the county side should always be competing at the highest level, to do that the team and panel must have the necessary belief but this did not exist in the showing against Donegal.
Most frustrating of all is that Clare continued to make the same mistakes all year and they were not sufficiently rectified.
As they go back to the drawing board, the immediate aim for 2025 is to get promoted back to Division 2 as the longer stay in Division 3 of the NFL the bigger the gap will remain with the top counties.
Scorers Donegal: P McBrearty (1-5 1f), R McHugh (1-4), O Gallen (1-4 2’45), C O’Donnell (0-2), M Langan (0-1), P Mogan (0-1), M Curran (0-1), C Thompson (0-1), D Ó Baoill (0-1), C Moore (0-1), S O’Donnell (0-1).
Scorers Clare: E McMahon (0-4 3f), D O’Donnell (0-1 1f)
Donegal:
1: Shaun Patton (St Eunan’s)
4: Eoghan Bán Gallagher (Killybegs)
3: Brendan McCole (St Naul’s)
7: Peadar Mogan (St Naul’s)
5: Ryan McHugh (Cill Chathra)
6: Caolan McGonagle (Buncrana)
2: Mark Curran (Dungloe)
9: Michael Langan (Naomh Micheál)
8: Ciaran Moore (St Eunan’s)
10: Shane O’Donnell (St Eunan’s)
11: Ciaran Thompson (Naomh Conaill)
15: Niall O’Donnell (St Eunan’s)
13: Patrick McBrearty (Chill Chartha)
14: Oisin Gallen (Sean MacCumhaills)
19: Odhran Doherty (Naomh Conaill)
Subs:
12: Daire Ó Baoill (Gaoth Dobhair) for Curran (HT)
20: Conor O’Donnell (Cardonagh) for Doherty (HT)
18: Stephen McMenamin (Aodh Rua) for Bán Gallagher (41)
22: Hugh McFadden (Killybegs) for Langan (49)
17: Kevin McGettigan (Naomh Conaill) for Mogan (56)
Clare:
16: Tristan O’Callaghan (St Breckan’s)
9: Micheál Garry (Cooraclare)
3: Cillian Brennan (Clondegad)
2: Manus Doherty (Éire Óg)
5: Alan Sweeney (St Breckan’s)
6: Cillian Rouine (Ennistymon)
4: Ronan Lanigan (Éire Óg)
8: Brian McNamara (Cooraclare)
10: Daniel Walsh (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
13: Ciaran Downes (Kilmihil)
27: Ikem Ugwueru (Éire Óg)
12: Gavin Murray (Éire Óg)
14: Aaron Griffin (Lissycasey)
15: Emmet McMahon (Kildysart)
11: Dermot Coughlan (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
Subs:
20: Diarmuid O’Donnell (Kildysart) for Downes (HT)
18: Darren Nagle (Liscannor) for Murray (40)
26: James Curran (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield) for Walsh (48)
25: Shane Griffin (Lissycasey) for A Griffin (52)
24: Cian Burke (St Breckan’s) for Ugwueru (64)
Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Tipperary)
