All-Ireland SFC: Donegal finish strongly

All-Ireland SFC Preliminary Quarter-Final

Donegal 2-22 (2-2-18) Louth 0-12 (0-0-12)

By Chris McNulty at Páirc Seán MacCumhaill

Donegal produced a powerful second half display to ease past Louth and into the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals.

Conor O’Donnell and Ciaran Thompson scored goals in either half as Donegal won by 16 points.

Jim McGuinness’s Ulster champions are Croke Park bound after outscoring the Leinster champions 1-16 to 0-5 in the second period.

O’Donnell scored the opening Donegal goal in the 34th minute to give the home side a 1-6 to 0-7 lead at half-time in front of 15,369.

After Dara McDonnell drew Louth level, at 0-6 apiece, Shaun Patton arrowed a kick-out in the direction of Michael Murphy. The flick-on fell for Ciaran Moore, who sent O’Donnell scurrying away.

The Carndonagh man had his spot picked long before he pulled the trigger, riffling past Niall McDonnell with real precision.

In a five-minute blitz early in the second half, Donegal opened up a six-point lead, Murphy slamming over a two-pointer to lift the noise.

The volume went up rather more in the 52nd minute when Thompson’s low shot beat McDonnell for a second Donegal goal on a landmark day for the Naomh Conaill man. Thompson was making his 50th Championship appearance. Thompson made his Championship bow against Dublin in 2016 - and has played in every SFC game since.

This has already been a landmark year for Louth, who toppled Meath to win their first Leinster SFC title in 68 years. Defeats to Monaghan and Down left their participation dangling by a threat, but a 2-17 to 2-14 win over Clare last weekend teed up a trip to the north west.

They stayed in touch here for as long as they could, but Donegal had more gears to go through in the second half.

Donegal were 0-5 to 0-1 ahead when Finnbarr Roarty landed a left-footed effort in the 16th minute.

Peadar Mogan and Conor O’Donnell popped over the points that made the early hay for Donegal, who saw Murphy (free) and Oisin Gallen in on the act in the early exchanges.

Donegal were in for a goal in the 19th minute when Langan lifted invitingly into the path of Oisin Gallen but the Ballybofey man whizzed his effort wide of the River End net.

A goal then and Donegal would have been six up with Craig Lennon having scored for Louth, but the visitors soon had their tails up.

When Ryan Burns posted two points inside a minute of each other Louth were suddenly back to within a point, 0-5 to 0-4.

Burns, from just inside the arc, brought Louth level in the 25th minute, bending inside the left upright with a fine kick.

Captain Sam Mulroy miscued with a free three minutes later that could have inched Louth ahead.

Gallen, with Donegal’s first score in 17 minutes, restored the advantage and, after McDonnell responded immediately, O’Donnell was soon wheeling away after netting the opening goal.

The half-time hooter put some urgency in Louth again and Burns beautifully arched over his fourth of the day for a two-point deficit as they parted ways at the interval.

Donegal defeated Louth in an All-Ireland quarter-final last year, an Eoghan Ban Gallagher goal helping McGuinness’s men to a 1-23 to 0-18 win at Croke Park.

Jason McGee came in for his first start since the 2024 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway. McGee began at centrefield alongside Langan, who was making his 99th senior appearance in Donegal’s colours.

Last month, Tyrone stormed Ballybofey when winning 2-17 to 0-20 in the group phase, marking McGuinness’s first defeat in 16 League or Championship games at the Finnside venue. The Donegal manager was keen for his side to put on a show here.

Mulroy moved Louth closer with the first score of the second half, but a Ryan McHugh turnover soon sent Donegal on their way to a fine score. The move began with McHugh winning the ball back and, via Hugh McFadden, Gallagher, Gallen and Murphy, Donegal moved into the danger zone, the play polished off with Roarty fisting over.

In 2020 and 2021, Mulroy worked closely with McGuinness, who had a spell working with the Naomh Máirtín club in Louth - winning back-to-back championships in those years - and while he pulled the deficit back to five, Thompson’s goal put Donegal out of reach and out of sight.

Scorers for Donegal: Oisin Gallen 0-5, Conor O’Donnell 1-2; Ciaran Thompson 1-0; Michael Langan 0-3 (1tp), Michael Murphy (1tp 1f), Finnbarr Roarty, Daire Ó Baoill 0-2 each, Peadar Mogan, Shane O’Donnell, Niall O’Donnell, Caolan McColgan, Hugh McFadden 0-1 each.

Scorers for Louth: Ryan Burns 0-4, Sam Mulroy 0-3 (1f), Paul Matthews, Craig Lennon, Dara McDonnell, Peter Lynch, Ciaran Downey 0-1 each.

Donegal: Shaun Patton, Finnbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Eoghan Bán Gallagher, Ciarán Moore; Jason McGee, Michael Langan; Caolan McColgan, Ciarán Thompson, Shane O'Donnell; Conor O'Donnell, Michael Murphy, Oisín Gallen.

Subs: Hugh McFadden for McGee (HT), Daire Ó Baoill for McHugh (49), Patrick McBrearty for Murphy (54), Odhran McFadden-Ferry for Gallagher (57), Niall O’Donnell for C.O’Donnell (57).

Louth: Niall McDonnell; Daire Nally, Dermot Campbell, Donal McKenny; Emmet Carolan, Peter Craig, Craig Lennon; Tommy Durnin, Dara McDonnell; Conall McKeever, Ciaran Downey, Paul Matthews; Dan Corcoran, Sam Mulroy, Ryan Burns.

Subs: Conor Grimes for Carolan (HT), Sean Callaghan for Durnin (49), Ryan Walsh for Matthews (54), Kieran McArdle for Lennon (56), Ciaran Byrne for Burns (60).

Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry).