Donegal power beyond Tyrone to start All-Ireland series

ALL IRELAND SFC – GROUP 3, ROUND 1

DONEGAL 0-21 TYRONE 0-14

Donegal showed no signs of an Ulster Final hangover as they registered a comfortable seven point win over Tyrone in their All-Ireland group opener at Ballybofey.

A crowd of 16,607 watched on as Jim McGuinness made it sixteen league and championship games unbeaten at the home of Donegal football.

Oisin Gallen continued his fine summer as he top scored with seven points despite the close attention of Tyrone full-back, Padraig Hampsey.

The winning of the game came in the third quarter, the Tir Chonaill outscoring their visitors six points to one in a fifteen minute spell before eventually winning by a comfortable 0-21 to 0-14 scoreline.

Donegal go to Cork next weekend while Tyrone will look to get off the mark with a home game against Clare.

The visitors started the brightest, kicking the first two scores of the game as the deadly duo of Darragh Canavan and Darren McCurry opened their accounts.

As was to be expected the Tir Chonaill men responded, kicking the next four scores without reply.

Jason McGee, Oisin Gallen, Ciaran Thompson and Peadar Mogan all landed in a ten minute spell of dominance.

McCurry stopped the rot off of his right foot before Darragh Canavan spurned a goal chance when, after racing away and exchanging passes with Conn Kilpatrick and Michael McKernan, his effort flew agonisingly beyond the left hand post.

Patrick McBrearty and another from Gallen edged Donegal three ahead before, as Tyrone started to go after Sean Patton's kick-out, two scores from Kieran McGeary brought it back to a one point game.

The Ulster Champions almost struck a hammer blow five minutes before the break as Ciaran Thompson streaked clear but, with the angle suiting the left footer, his shot touched the post before trailing wide as the entirety of the crowd waited for the net to bulge.

McCurry and Gallen exchanged frees before the half-time whistle, with latter nailing a score in the final action of the half to send his team in 0-10 to 0-9 ahead.

Donegal took control from the first seconds of the second stanza to the very last, the first two scores after the restart coming from Ryan McHugh and Gallen.

Jason McGee and Ciaran Thompson also landed either side of a Niall Morgan free as Donegal took the third quarter six points to one.

In reality, the game would be ended as a contest from there as McGeary and Niall Devlin tried to keep their team in it.

Peadar Mogan got his third as Odhran Doherty, Shane O'Donnell and Michael Langan all landed to confirm a comfortable win for Jim McGuinness' charges.