The defeat itself, and the manner of it, was something we Derry fans were hoping we wouldn't have to endure for another few matches, but unfortunately it all amounts to the same old story, as another Oakleaf side failed to build upon the excellent victory achieved in the previous game.
Put simply, Donegal out-thought us and outclassed us, and despite the slender margin of the extra-time victory, even the staunchest Derry fan would have to admit that the Tír Chonaill men deserved to win with a bit more to spare.
So, where did it all go wrong? Well, it's probably best to start at the beginning, because this is arguably the period where Derry lost the game. Derry's first point didn't come until the 16th minute, and after the blazing opening a week earlier in Clones, I, along with many Derry fans were already feeling uncomfortable in Ballybofey. An uneasiness seemed to have gotten a grip of the Derry players, and this transmitted to the terraces. Derry were second to every ball, conceding a mass of possession in midfield, and were supplying the forward line with poor final ball. A slow start from Damian Cassidy's side set the tempo for the game, and Donegal smelt blood. The Bellaghy-man admitted as much after the game:
"We probably lost it in the first 20 minutes of the first half. We lost the initiative at that stage and we were always playing catch-up after that."It looked like the energy and focus Derry had pumped into disposing of Monaghan had been left behind in Clones. It was a tough ask to get these Derry players to produce a similar performance just one week later, and there must have been great difficulty in getting the squad prepared mentally to the same level.
It showed.
John Joe Doherty had no such problems and he set his side up to defend heavily against Derry's front pairing of Paddy and Eoin Bradley. A tactic that has worked against the Oakleafers in the past seemed like it might be alien to a Donegal team that are used with playing open football. But Doherty instructed his team to funnel men back in numbers and create space for the front pairing of McFadden and Murphy. The likes of Brian Mullan and Chrissy McKaigue found themselves too often in forward positions - not what Damian Cassidy would prefer - and Derry's full-back line was well and truly exposed. Donegal's tactic worked well.
That was disappointing from a Derry point of view. We are well used to see teams employ sweepers in front of our forward division - yet we had no answer. The Donegal screening made Derry panic in possession, creating numerous turnovers in the first half. Derry were sloppy and ponderous - a million miles away from the team that had disposed of Monaghan. The forwards were not being supplied with percentage ball (the standard of passing not approaching the required clinical level) and with Paddy Bradley struggling on the excellent Karl Lacey, Derry's forward threat was diminishing as the half wore on. Donegal were thriving. Murphy and McFadden were winning every ball and creating havoc. They paired up for Donegal's first goal which gave them a real confidence booster. Derry heads dropped. The substitution of Kevin McCloy was inevitable; the introduction of debutant Brian Óg McAlary illustrating how stretched Derry's resources had become. He did well to stick to McFadden, but the Donegal forwards were winning every ball that came their way.
Perhaps it was due to the fact that Derry were behind on the scoreboard, but they never appeared to explore the possibility of dropping a man back in front of the full-back line. Barry McGoldrick played in a sweeper role at various stages this season and should have been moved back to help deal with the constant Donegal forward threat.
Midfield meanwhile was almost like a vacuum for Derry possession. Donegal were cleaning up in this area with Conall Dunne playing deep to win what seemed like a mount
ain of ball. Derry's success in the breaking ball stakes amounted to a total of 0% in the first half. An abysmal statistic that set the platform for defeat. Gerard O'Kane (who produced yet another excellent performance) kicked the ball away in frustration when the referee blew for half-time, and with his side three points down he and the rest of us knew Derry were in big trouble.And yet, throughout the game (bar the early part of the second half when Donegal opened up a five-point advantage) Derry somehow managed to keep in touch. Mark Lynch, James Kielt and Eoin Bradley were the chief scorers, but they had been reduced to picking off lang-range efforts as Derry failed to break through the solid Donegal defence. Eoin Bradley was particularly influential in the second-half, continuing to win his own ball and run constantly at the Donegal defence. As time ticked on, the fingernails were taking a battering, and the loss of a subdued Paddy Bradley to injury saw another largely untested player in the shape of Gavin McShane enter the cauldron. It wasn't looking good, but having given themselves a mountain to climb Derry were fighting back. Doherty and Patsy Bradley with the help of Barry McGuigan, were only just beginning to get a foothold in midfield, while Gerard O'Kane was piling forward at will.
With the game in its final minute and Derry only a point behind, Chrissy McKaigue showed little fear to pounce on loose possession and hit a classy strike over the bar. Derry had just got out of jail, but that point illustrated just how hard they were having to work for scores, that continued to be struck from long-range. Derry couldn't penetrate the centre of the Donegal defence, and never looked like creating the goal that might have carried them over the finishing line.
At the end of the seventy minutes I thought that Derry could push on and win it in extra-time. Unfortunately, David Coldrick's normal-time whistle was as good as it got. Donegal should have felt like the beaten team, but Kevin Cassidy's goal gave them a fresh impetus, and an extra-time lead from which Derry could not recover. Colm McFadden almost went from hero to villain, kicking several wides in the two extra periods that basically kept Derry in the game. And then came the last-gasp chance that Enda Lynn sliced wide. It was an unfortunate moment for him and every Derry person inside the ground felt his anguish. We had almost come away with an unlikely draw - but the damage had already been done.
Donegal had outplayed us. They got their tactics spot on, while Derry revisited their form from previous seasons that saw the side unable to cope with a blanket defensive system. Derry had proven a point last week against Monaghan, but they failed to replicate that desire and hunger from the beginning in Ballybofey. Donegal were better prepared for the battle; they were able to raise their game for the arrival of the red-hot favourites from Derry.
It's been a difficult pill to swallow... and it hasn't quite been stomached just yet. The word 'gutted' gets bandied about a few times too often these days, but even us Derry fans probably require a stronger adjective to describe the emotions since leaving a darkening Ballybofey.
But thems the breaks, and Damian Cassidy will know today, if he didn't already, the magnitude of the task he has with this Derry team. Injuries and suspensions have forced his hand (Niall McCusker and Kevin McGuckin would have strengthened the defence, while Enda Muldoon would have added a play-making ability to a floundering attack), while the unforgiving nature of the qualifying system ensured Derry would have difficult tasks to complete in short time-frames.
The dream is over for another year... the nightmares continue.
DERRY: B Gillis; C McKaigue (0-1), K McCloy, S.M Lockart; G O'Kane (0-1), B McGoldrick (0-2 frees), SL McGoldrick; F Doherty, Patsy Bradley; J Diver, J Kielt (0-5, 0-3 frees), B Mullan; E Bradley (0-3), Paddy Bradley (0-2 frees), M Lynch (0-3) Subs B McAlary for McCloy, 34 mins; G McShane (0-1) for Diver, 43 mins; B McGuigan for Mullan, 43 mins; E Lynn for Paddy Bradley, 50 mins; S Bradley for McShane, 79 mins
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