Down see off Donegal in Extra Time

Ulster Senior Football Championship Quarter Final:
Down 1-15 Donegal 2-10

A goal three minutes from the end of extra time by Benny Coulter gave Down their first Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship victory over Donegal since 1996 as they won the quarter-final clash between the counties at MacCumhail Park, Ballybofey, on Sunday.

Having been denied victory by Rory Kavanagh’s late equaliser for Donegal in normal time, James McCartan’s side edged matters in extra time, with Coulter’s goal opening up a three-point gap.

On balance, Down probably deserved the win, possessing a great point-taking ability and a generally strong defence, forcing Donegal into wasting cheap scoring opportunities.

A lot of the pre-match attention had focused on Down’s Martin Clarke, the former Collingwood AFL player who was making his first championship start, but it was another debutant, Donegal’s Dermot Molloy, who stole the first-half limelight.

The corner-forward, a star of Donegal’s march to the Final of the Cadbury GAA All-Ireland Football Under-21 Championship this year, accounted for all but a goal of his side’s 2-3 half-time tally, and played a large role in that other goal too.

Those two green flags were vital as John Joe Doherty’s side led by two points at the interval, and it could be argued that Down were the better team overall in the first period, unfortunate not to be in the lead as the sides turned around.

The game began in a physical, robust manner, with Down employing a sweeper system while Conal Dunne, wearing number 15 for Donegal, was playing as a third midfielder.

Molloy showed no signs of debut nerves as he opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a point, and four minutes later his introduction to big-time football turned into a dream as he found the net, profiting after Michael Murphy won a great ball in and laid off a handpass.

Down, to their credit, responded positively and points from Benny Coulter, John Clarke and Mark Poland (free) in the space of three minutes had cancelled out the goal, while Coulter was unlucky not to get on the end of a Damian Rafferty delivery in the 19th minute.

In an instant though, the action had returned to the other end and Donegal had found the net again, Molloy’s point attempt coming back off the post and Dunne was there unperturbed in front of goal to gather the loose ball, sidestep Down goalkeeper Brendan McVeigh and slot home.

Again though, Down didn’t wilt after the concession of a goal and Martin Clarke opened his championship account after a hand-off from brother John before Danny Hughes sent over a good effort from a tight angle to cut the gap to two points.

Coulter could then have put his side in the lead for the first time but Paul Durcan saved well from him, and the sides shared four points in the final 10 minutes of the half to leave Donegal leading by 2-3 to 0-7 at the break.

The second half lacked the punch of the previous half, and with 18 minutes left the two-point gap remained, Donegal still ahead by 2-5 to 0-9. Slowly however, Down began to gain the more momentum, Martin Clarke with an excellent point before Benny Coulter equalised with 11 minutes left after a surging run.

David Walsh handed the lead back to Donegal three minutes later when he fisted over after capitalising on uncertainty in the Down defence, though a goal was on. Down, with Dan Gordon now relocated to full-forward, began to pump in high balls in the final 10 minutes but Durcan was dealing well with these, however Coulter did managed to level with a huge point from 46m in the 68th minute.

Gordon then almost scored a winning goal when he met Martin Clarke’s sideline ball only for Durcan to save brilliantly for a 45. From that though, Clarke, who had earlier missed two previous efforts, showed nerves of steel to convert and put Down ahead – 0-13 to 2-6 – for the first time as the game reached the 70-minute mark, but Rory Kavanagh popped up in the second minute of injury time to force the extra 20 minutes.

Unanswered points from Coulter and Hughes – his fourth – left Down in a commanding position at the end of the first period. Donegal’s Barry Dunnion almost scored a lucky goal though, his deflected effort coming back off the post, but a more telling factor was the continual increase of Donegal’s wides tally.

Scores from subs Mark McHugh and Colm McFadden (free) had Donegal level by the fourth minute of the second period of extra time, but in the game’s 87th minute the crucial score came, Martin Clarke finding Coulter in space close to goal and he made no mistake, ensuring that Down advanced to a semi-final meeting with Tyrone.