Derry plant a mighty Oak back at the summit of Ulster football

Derry 1-16 Donegal 1-14 (aet)

The resurrection is complete. It wasn’t that long ago since Derry was listed as one of the ailing institutions of the northern scene. But on Sunday, in the burning late May sunshine of Clones, Chrissy McKaigue, one of the more exceptional figures in contemporary Gaelic games, lifted the Anglo-Celt Cup to end a 24-year period in the wilderness.

This may not have been a brilliant exhibition of football. But it was a sports contest of the very highest order. It was the first ever Ulster final to edge into extra-time and, with the players – and supporters –on the verge of exhaustion, a penalty shoot-out seemed plausible as the teams were still deadlocked at 1-13 apiece after the first 10-minute additional period.

But from lunchtime around Clones town, there was a budding sense of manifest destiny about Derry. They won it the hard way, shrugging off the erasure of a first-half lead, falling into a second-half hole and finally showing the conviction and urgency through that parched second period of extra-time to land the killer points. They came courtesy of two of the enduring names of Derry football, the indefatigable Brendan Rogers and midfielder Conor Glass, who was played into space by Rogers.

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The drama reached a feverish level in the final minute. After Ciarán Thompson floated one of his customary gorgeous points, Donegal attacked with a rampaging energy they had not displayed all afternoon and laid siege on the Derry goal, the culminating scene featured Michael Murphy launching a 13-metre free at a wall of Derry men: Derry survived and that was that.

The frantic bedlam of the closing seconds were a world removed from the systematic, cagey opening act when both teams were loath to do anything with the ball – particularly shoot. Ten minutes passed without a score and a lull fell over the town.

When the deadlock was broken, the score came straight from the Derry book of dreams. Breaking along the Donegal left flank, Niall Toner caught Odhrán McFadden-Ferry out with a routine backdoor cut and squared a pass for Niall Loughlin to finish from point-blank range.

After the cagey beginning, the score was like a whiskey shot. Emboldened now, Derry built a 1-3 to 0-1 lead after 19 minutes and had taken command of the narrative. Their cause was helped by the rare spectacle of two missed 50s from Murphy, a goal chance blazed wide by Michael Langan just before half-time and by the disappearance of key players Ryan McHugh and Patrick McBrearty into the maze of Derry’s defensive quicksand. Only the lightning speed and courage of Peader Mogan, who fired 0-3 when his team was listing, prevented this from being a perfect half of football for Derry.

For all that, they were still just Loughlin’s goal ahead at the break and that advantage was erased within 45 seconds of the restart during a rare burst of Donegal offensive aggression.

Langan played a return pass to Stephen McMenamin and burst through the Derry cover to find an ocean of green ahead of him: his shot was saved but the livewire McFadden-Ferry was lurking – possibly within the square – to hammer home. From then, the afternoon warmth and tension deepened and the game became a riveting contest, where a dispossession seemed to be worth as much of a score. Twice Donegal edged into two-point leads and twice Derry responded. By the end of normal time, they had two golden chances from Paul Cassidy and Glass to land immortal points but the shots tailed wide.

For all that, Derry were the hunters in that period. Apart from a glorious point from 50 metres, Murphy found Rogers a suffocating companion for the afternoon. For long periods, the Donegal talisman played as quarterback to the Donegal attack as they pinched and probed around the fringes of the Derry attack. As it was, he was clearly limping heavily in extra-time and an enforced move of into full forward immediately altered the composition of the entire field. Donegal’s refusal to play him there continues to mystify.

What a day for Rory Gallagher, the former Donegal manager and the architect of this reversal of fortunes. He has put together a highly calibrated counterattacking team and a group of footballers infused with a belief that had been absent for over a decade.

At the final whistle, Gallagher made a beeline for a few of the Donegal men with whom he had worked, including the disconsolate Murphy. So Derry are back and what a sight to see the famous red and white colours flooding the old field again. 1993. 1998. 2022. On the march again.

DERRY: 1 O Lynch; 2 C McKaigue, 3 B Rogers (0-3), 4 C McCluskey; 5 C Doherty (0-1), 6 G McKinliss, 7 P McGrogan; 8 C Glass (0-1), 12 E Doherty; 10 P Cassidy (0-1), 11 S Downey (0-1), 22 N Toner; 13 B Heron, 14 S McGuigan (0-6, five frees), 15 N Loughlin (1-2, one free).

Subs: 9 E Bradley (0-1) for 15 N Loughlin (47 mins), 21 L Murray for 13 B Heron (64), 19 B McCarron for 22 N Toner (68), 17 P McNeill for 11 S Downey (71), 13 B Heron for L Murray (74), 26 O McWilliams for 12 E Doherty (76).

DONEGAL: 1 S Patton; 2 C Ward, 4 S McMenamin, 3 B McCole; 7 O McFadden-Ferry (1-0), 8 C McGonagle, 6 EB Gallagher; 14 M Murphy (0-2), 9 J McGee (0-2); 17 P Mogan (0-3), 11 S O’Donnell (0-2), 5 R McHugh (0-1); 13 P McBrearty (0-2, two frees), 12 M Langan, 15 J Brennan.

Subs: 19 C O’Donnell for 15 J Brennan (58 mins), 24 A Doherty (0-1, mark) for 7 O McFadden-Ferry (64), 23 N O’Donnell for 11 S O’Donnell (71), 18 H McFadden for 9 J McGee (extra-time), 10 C Thompson (0-1) for 8 C McGonagle, 20 P Brennan for 12 M Langan, 25 E O’Donnell for P Mogan (all 80 min).

Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).