Derry 0-12 Donegal 0-6
Wet and windy January is a far remove from the cut and thrust of sunny summer days but still, there is no such thing as a hollow victory when these two counties, or indeed these two managers, go head to head in competition.
Without his Glen contingent who were preparing to win the Andy Merrigan Cup, Mickey Harte's Derry still had too much about them for a Donegal outfit which Jim McGuinness is whipping into shape at a rate of knots.
A double-scores defeat at O’Neill’s Healy Park shows the bearded man of Tir Conaill the extent of his challenge in the coming months if he is to raise a proper gallop against the heavyweights of Ulster, never mind the rest of the country.
For Harte, after a sojourn of three years in Louth, it is back to the big time and that starts in earnest this weekend when his side makes the long trip to the Kingdom in the first round of league games.
It was the perfect conclusion to a strong pre-season ahead of their return to Division 1 and an Allianz Football League opener away to Kerry next weekend.
McGuinness plan was not to win a pre-season tournament but to see what sort of talent could stand up to this level of opposition and to that end, the McKenna Cup has served its purpose.
Both sides were reduced to 14 men late in the third quarter with Brendan Rogers walking after a straight red card and Donegal skipper Paddy McBrearty also sent to the line for retaliation. Donegal ended the contest with 13 men as full forward Oisin Gallen picked up a second booking and had to leave the field of play.
Derry: O Lynch; D Baker, E McEvoy, C McKaigue; C McCluskey, G McKinless, P McGrogan; C Doherty (0-1), B Rogers; D Gilmore, D Cassidy (0-1), P Cassidy (0-1); N Loughlin (0-1), S McGuigan (0-6f), C Murphy (0-1) Subs: N Toner for McEvoy (h-t), S Downey for McCluskey (69).
Donegal: G Mulreany (0-2f); M Curran, D MacGiolla Bhride, K McGettigan; R McHugh (0-1), C McGonagle, P Mogan (0-1); O Caulfield, C Thompson; O Doherty, S O’Donnell, C Moore; P McBrearty (0-1f), O Gallen, J Brennan Subs: D O Baoill (0-1) for Caulfield (48), R Frain for Brennan (53) S McGlynn for Doherty (58) J McKelvey for O’Donnell (58), S McMenamin for Curran (69)
Ref: C Curran (Down).
Reports from the club finals, won by Glen and will be posted tomorrow.
GAA Intercounty Results
GAA RESULTS
O’Byrne Cup Final
Longford 1-12; Dublin 0-9
McGrath Cup Final
Cork 1-14; Kerry 1-14
(Cork win pen shootout 4-3)
McKenna Cup final
Derry 0-12; Donegal 0-6
