2014 season | |
---|---|
Manager | Jim McGuinness |
Stadium | MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey |
All-Ireland SFC | Finalist |
Ulster SFC | Winners |
The following is a summary of Donegal county football team's 2014 season.
The 2014 Donegal county football team season was the franchise's 110th season since the County Board's foundation in 1905. The team entered the season looking to improve on their poor 2013 run and return to prominence for the first time since winning Sam Maguire MMXII.
Jim McGuinness returned for his fourth season as the team's manager. Pioneer of the game's revolutionary tactic The System,[1] he entered the season with two Ulster titles (2011, 2012), and added a third this season,[2] before becoming the first manager in team history to lead his team to two All-Ireland Finals.[3][4]
Manager Jim McGuinness installed a new backroom team, consisting of Damian Diver, Paul McGonigle and John Duffy.[5]
Ryan Bradley and Ross Wherity both emigrated after the 2013 season.[5]
Ciaran Bonner and Leon Thompson returned to the panel for the first time since 2009.[5] Christy Toye returned after missing the 2013 season due to illness.[5] Returning also were Thomas McKinley (Naomh Colmcille) and Antoin McFadden — both excluded in the early part of the 2013 season after featuring as part of the 2012 panel.[5] Conor Classon returned to the panel as well.[5][6]
Hugh McFadden joined the panel after manager McGuinness noticed him during the 2013 Donegal Senior Football Championship.[7][8] Also joining were Stephen McLaughlin (Malin) and Darach O'Connor.[5]
Team as per Donegal v Dublin, 2014 All-Ireland Semi Final, 31 August 2014
Donegal won promotion from Division 2.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Donegal | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 9-97 | 7-67 | +36 | 11 | Advanced to final and promoted to Division 1 for 2015 |
Monaghan | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3-107 | 3-78 | +29 | 11 | |
Meath | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9-87 | 8-95 | –5 | 9 |
Laois | 1-9 – 2-19 | Donegal |
---|---|---|
Galway | 0-12 – 1-16 | Donegal |
---|---|---|
Donegal | 2-11 – 0-10 | Monaghan |
---|---|---|
Donegal | 1-12 – 1-12 | Meath |
---|---|---|
Down | 1-9 – 0-10 | Donegal |
---|---|---|
Donegal | 1-19 – 3-7 | Louth |
---|---|---|
Armagh | 1-8 – 2-10 | Donegal |
---|---|---|
Monaghan | 1-16 – 1-10 | Donegal |
---|---|---|
K Hughes 1-1, P Finlay (1f), C McManus 0-3 each, P McKenna, D Hughes 0-2 each, R Beggan ('45), D Mone, D Clerkin, C McGuinness, F Kelly 0-1 each | Report | M Murphy 1-4 (1 pen, 3f), C McFadden 0-4 (3f), P McBrearty, O MacNiallais 0-1 each |
Donegal won the Ulster Championship for a third time in four seasons.
Preliminary round | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
Tyrone (R) | 2-11 3-11 | ||||||||||||||||||
Down (R) | 3-08 0-12 | Tyrone | 0-14 | ||||||||||||||||
Monaghan | 1-12 | ||||||||||||||||||
Monaghan (R) | 0-14 1-18 | ||||||||||||||||||
Armagh (R) | 0-14 1-13 | ||||||||||||||||||
Armagh | 1-12 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cavan | 0-09 | ||||||||||||||||||
Monaghan | 1-09 | ||||||||||||||||||
Donegal | 0-15 | ||||||||||||||||||
Fermanagh | 3-13 | ||||||||||||||||||
Antrim | 2-18 | ||||||||||||||||||
Antrim | 0-12 | ||||||||||||||||||
Donegal | 3-16 | ||||||||||||||||||
Derry | 0-11 | ||||||||||||||||||
Donegal | 1-11 |
Derry | 0-11 – 1-11 | Donegal |
---|---|---|
M Lynch (0-04), E Bradley (0-03), B Heron (0-02), C McFaul, N Holly (0-01 each) | Report | L McLoone (1-01), M Murphy (0-04), K Lacey, A Thompson, C Toye, D O'Connor, P McBrearty, M McElhinney (0-01 each) |
Donegal | 3-16 – 0-12 | Antrim |
---|---|---|
D O'Connor, L McLoone (1-02 each), D Molloy (1-01), O MacNialais (0-04), M Murphy (0-03), C Toye, C McFadden (0-02 each) | Report | T McCann, B Neeson (0-03 each), M Sweeney (0-02), C Murray, P McCann, K Niblock, P Cunningham (0-01 each) |
Monaghan | 1-09 – 0-15 | Donegal |
---|---|---|
P Finlay (0-04), C McGuinness (1-00), R Beggan (0-02), V Corey, K Hughes, C McManus (0-01 each) | Report | C McFadden (0-04), P McBrearty , O MacNiallais (0-03 each), M Murphy (0-02), A Thompson, K Lacey, R McHugh (0-01 each) |
Donegal reached the All-Ireland Final for the second time in three seasons.
Donegal | 1-12 – 1-11 | Armagh |
---|---|---|
M Murphy (0-05), O MacNiallais (1-01), C McFadden (0-03), P McBrearty (0-02), N McGee (0-01) | Report | T Kernan (0-04), A Kernan (0-02), A Mallon, A Forker, S Campbell, K Carragher, M Murray (0-01 each) P Durcan (1-00 own goal) |
Donegal | 3-14 - 0-17 | Dublin |
---|---|---|
R McHugh 2-02, C McFadden 1-03 (2fs), M Murphy 0-03 (2fs), P McBrearty 0-02, K Lacey, F McGlynn, O MacNiallais, R Kavanagh 0-01 each | Report | D Connolly 0-05 (1f), P Flynn 0-04, B Brogan 0-03 (1f), A Brogan, P Andrews 0-02 each, P McMahon 0-01 |
The Sunday Game selected Paul Durcan, Neil McGee, Neil Gallagher, Ryan McHugh and Michael Murphy on its Team of the Year.[11][12]
Ryan McHugh won.[13]
Donegal achieved four All Stars.
Pos. | Player | Team | Appearances |
---|---|---|---|
GK | Paul Durcan | Donegal | 2 |
RCB | Paul Murphy | Kerry | 1 |
FB | Neil McGee | Donegal | 3 |
LCB | Keith Higgins | Mayo | 3 |
RWB | James McCarthy | Dublin | 1 |
CB | Peter Crowley | Kerry | 1 |
LWB | Colm Boyle | Mayo | 2 |
MD | Neil Gallagher | Donegal | 2 |
MD | David Moran | Kerry | 1 |
RWF | Paul Flynn | Dublin | 4 |
CF | Michael Murphy | Donegal | 2 |
LWF | Diarmuid Connolly | Dublin | 1 |
RCF | Cillian O'Connor | Mayo | 1 |
FF | Kieran Donaghy | Kerry | 3 |
LCF | James O'DonoghueFOTY | Kerry | 2 |
A team managed by Declan Bonner, and including Eoghan Bán Gallagher, Jamie Brennan, John Campbell, Michael Carroll, Lorcan Connor, Ciaran Diver, Kieran Gillespie, Stephen McBrearty, Andrew McClean, Tony McClenaghan, Caolan McGonagle, Stephen McMenamin, Cian Mulligan and Ethan O'Donnell, advanced to the 2014 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final on 21 September.[14][15][16][17]
One of the lazier stereotypes about the Donegal defensive game — generally labelled 'the system' — is that it somehow does the work on its own. But McGee had plenty of moments in the spotlight with Brogan on Sunday and took his turn roaming forward like the other Donegal back six.
The difference between the sides was full-forward Hugh McFadden, who caused havoc in the MacCumhaill's defence and finished with a tally of 2–4 to put himself in the shop window for Jim McGuinness.
…Hugh McFadden's cracking 2–4 against Sean MacCumhaills in the quarter-final bleeped on Jim McGuinness's radar.
But Paul Fisher, the man who has overseen that programme for the last six years has reluctantly decided that it is time to move on. With a gym to run, a family to support and a Masters to complete, the Letterkenny native has stepped down after playing a vital role in the successes of managers Jim McGuinness, Rory Gallagher and Declan Bonner.