Allianz FL D1: Donegal impress against Mayo

Allianz Football League Division 1

DONEGAL 1-19 MAYO 0-14

By Chris McNulty at O’Donnell Park

Conor O’Donnell hit the goal as Donegal overpowered Mayo in O’Donnell Park to continue their excellent start to 2026.

Jim McGuinness’s side were on top throughout with O’Donnell, who scored 1-4, doing the bulk of the damage.

O’Donnell netted in the 47th minute, batting home at the far post after Conor McCahill and Peadar Mogan carved out an opening. When Carndonagh attacker O’Donnell applied the finish, Donegal roared into a nine-point lead, 1-14 to 0-8.

With the Donegal tails up, Finnbarr Roarty twisted the knife further with a point and Conor O’Donnell added another to leave Mayo shell-shocked.

The full house signs were posted here from early in the week and an additional 600 tickets, put on sale after an increase in the venue’s capacity was sanctioned, were snapped up in just 10 minutes. A capacity audience of 8,900 bore witness as Donegal quashed their old foes.

Michael Murphy, whose early goal paved the way for Donegal to defeat Mayo in the 2012 All-Ireland final, was sent on to a huge roar from the home crowd during that spell where Donegal made sure of the win.

With victories over Dublin, Kerry and Mayo in the bag, Donegal supporters are rightly optimistic for the year ahead, even at this early remove.

While O’Donnell Park hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Donegal since inter-county football returned to the venue in 2007, Donegal have now won three of their last five outings in Letterkenny. They never looked in trouble early, set on their way by an early McCahill double.

Off the back of wins over Dublin and Kerry, Donegal handed a first League start to Four Masters man McCahill, while there were first starts of this League campaign for Eoghan Ban Gallagher and Oisin Gallen.

A hand injury prevented the in-form Daire O Baoill from playing with Kieran Gallagher and Caolan McColgan also dropping out.

McCahill marked his big day by opening the scoring in the ninth minute after some early keep-ball by both sides, an off-target attempt by Gallen the sole effort at the posts before McCahill broke the duck.

McCahill repeated the trick two minutes later from a more central position and an Oisin Gallen brace followed, one from a free and one from play, to stretch the margin.

It was the 16th minute before Mayo troubled the scoreboard operator, but Ryan O’Donoghue nailed a two-point free on the left-hand side to immediately halve the deficit.

Gallen and Conor O’Donnell got in on the act before 2025 Young Footballer of the Year Finnbarr Roarty converted a point. Roarty arched over from close range after the brave McCahill, his confidence soaring now, went for goal.

As sheets of rain fell down on the Cathedral Town, Gallen’s fourth of the afternoon opened a five-point gap for the third time.

When Gallen registered with the final kick of the first half, Donegal were 0-11 to 0-5 to the good.

After defeating Kerry a fortnight ago, McGuinness had warned of the threat Mayo would pose when he said: “They've a lot of size and physicality about them, so they're looking really good at the moment."

O’Shea wasn’t in the XV named by new boss Andy Moran on Friday night, but the big Breaffy man was in the mix when Sean Hurson threw the ball in.

With Mayo’s attack failing to fire, Conor Loftus was thrown into the fray just before the half-hour mark.
A minute into the second half, Loftus scurried in for a goal chance, but Gavin Mulreany, the Donegal goalkeeper, got down well to save at the expense of a ’45, which was dropped short by Mayo ‘keeper Rob Hennelly.

Mulreany saved again, this time from Darragh Beirne, as Mayo began part two with purpose, but Ryan McHugh hung over a perfectly-timed two-pointer to steady the ship.

O’Donnell bagged the crucial goal and, from there, Mayo never seemed likely to make Donegal wobble. Nor did they.

Scorers for Donegal: Conor O’Donnell 1-4; Oisin Gallen 0-6, 2f; Conor McCahill 0-3; Ryan McHugh 0-3, 1 tp; Finnbarr Roarty 0-1; Shane O’Donnell 0-1; Ciaran Moore 0-1.

Scorers for Mayo: Ryan O’Donoghue 0-4, 1f, tpf; Jordan Flynn 0-2; Darragh Beirne 0-2; Sam Callinan 0-2; Bob Tuohy 0-1; Conor Loftus 0-1; Enda Hession 0-1; Fergal Boland 0-1

Donegal: Gavin Mulreany; Eoghan Bán Gallagher, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Finnbarr Roarty; Hugh McFadden, Michael Langan; Shane O'Donnell, Conor O'Donnell, Ciaran Moore; Conor McCahill, Jason McGee, Oisín Gallen. Subs: Michael Murphy for Oisin Gallen (48), Turlough Carr for Gallagher (59), Domhnaill Mac Giolla Bhride for McGee (63), Paul O’Hare for McHugh (68), Shea Malone for McCahill (68).

Mayo: Rob Hennelly; Jack Coyne, Rory Brickenden, Enda Hession; Sam Callinan, Donnacha McHugh, Fenton Kelly; Bob Tuohy, Diarmuid O’Connor; Jack Carney, Ryan O’Donoghue, Jordan Flynn; Darragh Beirne, James Carr, Aidan O’Shea. Subs: Conor Loftus for Carr (29), Fergal Boland for O’Connor (half-time), Paddy Durcan for McHugh (half-time), Diartmuid Duffy for O’Shea (53), Seamus Howard for Kelly (60).

Referee: Sean Hurson (Tyrone).