Donegal set up an Ulster decider with Armagh after outlasting Tyrone with a 0-18 to 0-16 win after extra-time in a gripping semi-final at Celtic Park.
Tyrone led for much of the contest but Donegal forced extra-time through Brendan McCole’s point deep in stoppage time.
Donegal edged ahead early in extra-time, and while Mattie Donnelly and Michael Kernan turned the game back in Tyrone’s favour, Jim McGuinness’ side hit the last three points to secure passage back to the provincial decider.
Armagh will be waiting for Donegal in the 12 May showpiece, and while the Tir Chonaill men have a win and a draw from their two meetings with the Orchard men this year, they will carry the heavy expectations of their county as they bid for a first Anglo-Celt Cup since 2019.
Having scored four goals to stun holders Derry last week, Donegal had a spring in their step as they returned to Celtic Park, but here they faced a well-drilled and patient Tyrone outfit determined to shut off the space the Oak Leafers had so readily offered up.
Celtic Park was again awash with green and gold, but it took a while for the crowd to come alive during what was a low-key first half, which ended with Tyrone leading by three.
While not as pulse-pounding as Donegal’s win over Derry, it was an absorbing dust-up between two of the province’s giants in front of 14,714 fans at Celtic Park.
In the opening 10 minutes, Niall O’Donnell opened Donegal’s account before Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan frees for Tyrone, who welcomed Conn Kilpatrick back into midfield after two months out.
After Oisin Gallen and McCurry exchanged frees, Daire O Baoill – Donegal’s two-goal hero against Derry last week – injected some real quality into proceedings with a fine solo score from play to level it at three points apiece.
Tyrone – who conceded the Donegal kick-out in stark contrast to Derry last week – managed to edge ahead from there, though.
Despite having slogged through extra-time against Cavan the day after Donegal’s win over Derry, the Red Hands looked sharper in attack in the first half, as evidenced by Ciaran Daly’s superb score off the outside of his right boot after being picked out by Niall Morgan.
That was after Sean O’Donnell had scored to nudge Tyrone ahead, and while a Gallen free and Ciaran Thompson’s beauty from distance brought Donegal level once more, Tyrone gave themselves a platform at the break with the last three scores of the half.
The last of those was a striking demonstration of how Tyrone can build from Morgan’s kick-outs, with the Edendork club-man finding Brian Kennedy with a booming kick. From there, Tyrone moved it through the hands to allow Cathal McShane to fire over.
Morgan, however, breathed a huge sigh of relief just moments later when, after hitting a kick-out straight to Shane O’Donnell, Conall Devlin produced a brilliant block to stop a Gallen score.
Jim McGuinness’ response at the break was to bring off his captain Patrick McBrearty, who struggled to make an impact during the first half.
It paid dividends in the early part of the half, too, as Donegal scored four of the first five points to draw level, with Daire O Baoill’s fine effort his last involvement before being taken off for Jamie Brennan.
After another Morgan free put Tyrone back in front, the impressive Ciaran Daly pounced on a poor Gavin Mulreaney kick-out to score before Canavan’s effort suddenly put the Red Hands three ahead.
But while the pace was at times pedestrian, it was a game littered with high-quality scores as Paedar Mogan and Caolan McGonagle efforts bringing Donegal back to within one before Gallen’s free restored parity.
After McKernan and Thompson exchanged scores, Canavan’s third score of the afternoon put Tyrone ahead in the closing stages before McCole rescued Donegal deep in injury time after Ryan McHugh’s ball into the square caused chaos in the Red Hand defence.
In extra-time, there was a marked drop-off in Tyrone’s energy as players cramped up and began to show signs of weariness after another intense battle in the sun.
And while Donnelly and McKernan gave the Red Hands something to hold on to after cancelling out Jeaic Mac Ceallbhui’s score, it was Donegal who found stronger reserves of energy to drive themselves over the line.
Trailing by a point and with the minutes ticking away, Donegal still found the scores despite missing the boot of goalkeeper Shaun Patton, whose injury meant Gavin Mulreaney started.
While there was no rapid transition or score off a long Patton kick-out, two points from the educated left boot of McBrearty – who was reintroduced for extra-time – either side of a Shane O’Donnell effort sealed Donegal’s place in the Ulster final.
It also puts McGuinness one win away from capturing his fourth provincial title across two spells in charge of his native county as he closes in on completing a remarkable turnaround in Donegal’s fortunes.
