The key tussles - where the game will be won and lost
Cassidy v Cavanagh
The midfield battle has been earmarked as the key battleground as expected on Sunday and it is hard to argue with that notion.
On their day, these are two of the best players in the game and will be men that supporters in both camps will be looking to for big games.
Against Armagh, Cassidy had a relatively quiet afternoon at the office, but that was largely due to a yellow card picked up in the early exchanges. The Gaoth Dobhair man has been a match-winner for Donegal in the past and if he can get into this game then Donegal have a great chance.
Nothing less will suffice though and a titanic dual is in store in the middle third of St Tiernach's Park.
Lacey v Mulligan
Owen Mulligan provides one of the most potent threats in the game, so who better to be tasked with looking after him than the All Star corner back, Lacey, who is sure to relish the test.
Against Armagh, Karl allowed Stevie McDonnell little in the way of space and he has been one of Donegal's most consistent performers over the last couple of years, but that form must again be found to deal with 'Muggsy.'
A deadly accurate kicker, Mulligan also has a keen eye for goal and Donegal fans will be hoping that the bleached-blond head of the joiner from Cookstown isn't featuring heavily in the scoring stakes on Sunday
McFadden v McGinley
Cormac McGinley is likely to get the assignment of looking after the Tyrone heartbreaker form 2004, Colm McFadden, who will hold the key in terms of Donegal's points tally.
It was scores from the St Michael's man that kept Donegal within reach of Armagh for the best part of the quarter final in Ballybofey and his accuracy from frees is likely to be relied upon again.
A fine ball winner, if McFadden can notch up a couple of scores from play and strike up a decent partnership with Brendan Devenney then the pair will prove a handful for the Tyrone rearguard.
The Likely Line-ups
Donegal
Paul Durcan
Neil McGee Paddy Campbell Karl Lacey
Paddy McConigley Barry Monaghan Barry Dunnion
Kevin Cassidy Neil Gallagher
Christy Toye Rory Kavanagh Brian Roper
Colm McFadden Brendan Devenney Ciaran Bonner
Tyrone
John Devine
Ryan McMenamin Cormac McGinley Dermot Carlin
Davy Harte Conor Gormley Philip Jordan
Sean Cavanagh Kevin Hughes
Brian Dooher Raymond Mulgrew Ryan Mellon
Owen Mulligan Colm Cavanagh Enda McGinley
Bus To Clones
There will be a Donegal Supporters bus travelling to Clones this coming Sunday afternoon.
The bus will depart from O'Boyces Cafe in Letterkenny at 10am, calling at Reid's Garage Stranorlar at 10.15.
To book a seat on the bus, or for further information, contact Paddy Bradley on 087-2245995 or Eddie Walsh on 086-3197622
Beating Armagh will count for nothing if we don't win says 'Papa'
PAUL Durcan was one of the stars on the Donegal side three Sunday's ago as Donegal overcame Armagh. The big Four Masters goalkeeper plucked two certain scores from over his crossbar, but speaking to the Donegal News this week he opted to keep the feet on the ground in relation to his heroics of the previous round.
Beating Armagh, he reckons, was merely pointless if Tyrone are not put to the sword this coming Sunday. The 6'4" Durcan, nicknamed 'Papa' by his team-mates can't wait for the challenge.
"Three weeks is a good bit of a gap between games when you're used to going flat out during the National League so I'm dying to get out there and get the game played," he commented.
"When we beat Armagh, people were saying that the monkey was off the back, but there's no point in beating Armagh if you don't go out and perform against Tyrone and get to an Ulster final.
"I think this is probably a bigger game; at least it is as big as the Armagh game so hopefully we can go out and perform now. There's a good buzz in the camp and it would be a boost if we could take that into the game now as well."
Durcan is hoping to take his recent good form into Sunday's game against Tyrone, but he doesn't see himself performing similar heroics as he did on May 27th.
"I was lucky in a way I suppose to catch them over the bar," he said of his catching those balls from Oisin McConville.
"You don't get too many of them and it probably won't happen again this year. Hopefully I can keep a steady game and keep the goals out. Especially against Tyrone, if you don't concede goals you're always in with a chance."
Lacey hoping lady luck stays on side
ALL-Star corner back Karl Lacey says that he hopes, after her fleeting appearance at the end of the Armagh game, Lady Luck is again wearing the Donegal colours on Sunday afternoon.
The Four Master clubman reckons that Donegal sides of years gone by would have chucked the towel in after Oisin McConville's goal that last day. This side is different however: "Two or three years ago our heads would have dropped and maybe we wouldn't have kept going. But, that's the difference with us this year and we have that never say die attitude where we just keep going right to the end," said Lacey.
"We'd be looking to get a wee bit of luck against Tyrone and hopefully play a bit better too. To get to the Ulster final would be great after playing Armagh and now Tyrone," he added.
Lacey, who has continued his All-Star winning form of last year into 2007 says that the squad simply cannot wait for Sunday afternoon to roll around.
"At this stage now we just want to get it played. We had a good win over Armagh, but we're going to have to up it against Tyrone.
"It's going to be a lot tougher. Maybe it won't be as physical, but it'll be a lot tougher. We're going to have to up it a gear or two from the way we played against Armagh and we're looking forward," he added.
Repeat of '04 would suffice for McFadden
BY CHRIS MCNULTY
DONEGAL and Tyrone last met in the Championship three years ago. The 2004 Ulster semi final will be remembered in the land of O'Donnell as the day on which one Colm Anthony McFadden tore shreds off Tyrone to seal Donegal's place in the decider against Armagh.
The St Eunans College schoolteacher, who hails from the St Michael's club in the Creeslough/Dunfanaghy area of North Donegal, put a remarkable 1-7 on the scoreboard as Donegal overcame Tyrone ????
This coming Sunday, McFadden is gearing up for what will be his third Ulster semi final and he is hoping for it to be a case of third time lucky. In 2002, he was a substitute as Donegal overcame Derry before turning in that match-winning display in 2004.
He has returned to the green and gold for 2007 after a season in exile last year when he just missed out on a place in McIver's Championship squad as he was in London completing his studies.
"It was good to have the year out and have a break. But, it's nice to play and do something that you love doing. Playing football is something I love doing, so it's good to be back," he reflected this week.
His return has given Donegal that extra potency from the placed ball as he demonstrated against Armagh, knocking over seven frees to keep Donegal within touching distance of the Orchard men.
However, he says that while a repeat of his scoring feat from `04 would be welcomed, winning is all that matters on Sunday: "If it happened like that (2004) it would be great," muses McFadden "but as long as we win, that is the main thing.
"Hopefully I can continue that (the scoring form from the Armagh game) into this game. I don't care who gets the scores though as long as we win. I had a good game getting plenty scores. Every forward likes scoring, so hopefully it lasts longer through the year.
" I am definitely looking forward to it anyway."
Colm feels that this Sunday's game with the Red Hands will carry the same level of intensity as the red-hot quarterfinal meeting with Armagh. That game went right down to the wire with a fortuitous last-gasp goal from Brendan Devenney sealing Donegal's place in this weekend's game that
"It will be very similar to Armagh I think," he said.
"Armagh put us under an awful lot of pressure and didn't give us time on the ball and I would expect the same from Tyrone. All the big teams don't give you much time on the ball. I think it will be very similar in that sense."
That Donegal have been drawn in the same side of the draw as the so-called 'big two' of Ulster football means that Brian McIver's men will certainly have to do things the hard way if a place in the final is to be obtained.
However, for Colm McFadden and co, the talk of the final has not even been entertained. The manager's stern warning about taking the season 'one game at a time' has been heeded by the panel and all that is on their minds is winning Sunday's game.
"Beating Armagh and Tyrone would be a big confidence booster and hopefully we will have that after Sunday. It's important that we don't look to an Ulster final yet though
We just have to concentrate on winning Sunday's game first and try to win that. Things have been going reasonably well. Training has been good and we were lucky enough after the Armagh game in that we haven't got any major injuries, apart from Mickey Hegarty."
'Cass' looking to up the ante
BY CHRIS MCNULTY
KEVIN Cassidy made quite a telling contribution in Donegal's quarter final win over Armagh at Sean MacCumhaill Park three Sunday's ago as his advancement on 'keeper Paul Hearty caused the big Crossmaglen man to drop Brendan Devenney's high ball into the net.
That moment at the Town End, which swung the pendulum in Donegal's favour, will long be remembered by the Tír Chonaill faithful. It was the moment that ensured that Donegal once and for all exorcised the ghosts of Armaghs past, present and future that had haunted them on so many times over the years.
Kevin Cassidy though didn't join in the rejoicing for long. As he came off the turf that day, he told of the 'disgraceful' performance that had gone before. While thankful that Armagh had been sent packing to the qualifiers, the former All Star noted that a huge improvement would be required for the next test.
And, speaking to the Donegal News this week, the powerful resident of Brinlack in Gaoth Dobhair once again touched on the subject saying that the ante must be upped in Clones. "It's a long three weeks since the Armagh game. I didn't play well that day and I know a couple of the other boys feel the same. We're just eager to get back out and play a good game," he commented.
"Although we won against Armagh, you still don't be happy as a player if you don't play well yourself. We've had three weeks now to prepare and I think we will be facing a more open game this week.
"Armagh closed us down and didn't give us a chance to run. Even if the ball was on the other side and you were making a run they stopped you from making that run. They stopped the play completely but Tyrone will probably come out and want to play with the ball."
Cassidy's own performance was, by his own admission, below his usual high standards, but a booking picked up for an early tussle near the dugout that led to manager Brian McIver getting a shove from Armagh's Martin O'Rourke was certainly a factor.
That card curtailed Cassidy's influence on proceedings and he wasn't able to put the stamp on the contest that he would have liked to. On Sunday in Clones, 'Cass' is aiming to right the wrongs of May 27th.
"I was conscious that I didn't want to let the boys down because we'd have been struggling then if I'd got another card," remembers Cassidy.
"There were probably challenges that I wanted to go in for that I couldn't have went in for. In saying that though, I wasn't happy with the overall performance because I was dropping balls that I shouldn't have been and, going into tackles, I was losing balls that I wouldn't normally.
"You just have to put it past you and get on with it for the next game to give a better display."
Drawing Armagh and Tyrone in the first two rounds is an arduous and daunting test no matter who you are. Cassidy feels though that it is to Donegal's advantage that they play the top teams on a regular basis.
If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best seems to be the message from the Gaoth Dobhair man, who was part of the side that was victorious at Comortas Peile na Gaeltachta recently.
"We are after winning the National League and if we were playing lesser teams people would be saying 'ah sure they're bound to win' but we were right straight in there playing Armagh, one of the top teams," he commented.
Now we have Tyrone who are another top class team. But that's where you want to be playing and if people are happy to throw questions, we are happy enough to answer them. Hopefully we'll answer them on Sunday evening."
McIver gearing up for crunch tie with his native county
BY CHRIS MCNULTY
BUT for the road that the then powers be in Tyrone GAA opted for in 2003 when they appointed Mickey Harte as the manager of their senior football team, Brian McIver could well be facing a different proposition this coming Sunday afternoon.
He could indeed be in the opposing dressing room as he was one of the men in the frame for the manager's job in Tyrone having led Ballinderry to an All Ireland club title in 2002. Also linked to the position vacated by Art McRory and Eugene McKenna was Tyrone U-21 manager Mickey Harte.
That Errigal Ciarán clubman Harte was installed as manager and went on to lead the O'Neill County to All Ireland glory is history. Donegal were to be big beneficiaries though as McIver would make the journey across the border into Tír Chonaill to transform the young pretenders into genuine contenders.
A native of Ardboe in Co.Tyrone, McIver has faced his native county men on three occasions - in the 2006 McKenna Cup, this year's McKenna Cup final and again in the League back in March - but he says that the prospect of squaring up to them in the Championship does not faze him.
He is eagerly looking forward to pitting his wits against the experience and guile of Harte and stresses that the previous meetings mean absolutely nothing in the run up to Sunday's heavyweight dual in St Tiernach's Park.
"The McKenna Cup final is a good while ago and Tyrone could probably look at it the same in terms of the League game," says McIver " but we know ourselves that that was away back in February or March and we just have to focus on getting it right for Sunday.
"The difference between League and Championship football has been well borne out this year so we know that it will be a different ball game and it is up to us to perform.
"It is the first time that I have been involved against them in the Championship, but we have played them in the McKenna Cup twice - last season and then this season's final - and in the League. We have a job to do here with Donegal and we'll be doing our damnedest to put Donegal into an Ulster final."
Drawn in the side of death in the Bank of Ireland Ulster Senior Football Championship, Sunday's clash once again has the hallmarks of an epic tussle between the new kids on the block, fresh from a NFL triumph, and the old warlords, a few of whom have a double All Ireland haul.
Beating Armagh in the quarter final is sure to have added an extra spring into the Donegal step. Even if the win was secured in the most fortuitous of fashions with Brendan Devenney's last-gasp effort slipping through Paul Hearty's hands, winning was the sole aim. That aim was achieved.
Donegal have been going great guns this year and indeed the Gaelic Life Dr McKenna Cup Final defeat to Sunday's opponents remains the only mark in the 'games lost' column for 2007.
Manager McIver feels that the performance levels will have to rise above everything that has gone before if Donegal are going to book their place in an Ulster final for the third time in four years.
"You're looking at another tight Ulster Championship game," predicted McIver.
"Our reward for beating Armagh is a meeting with the other of the big two and you're looking at a similarly tight game. This will be dead tight and will go down to the wire. Whichever team plays the best football on the day and gets the breaks will win the game, it's as simple as that.
"Of all the Championships, it's (Ulster) the most difficult to win. We knew when the draw came out that we weren't going to look past Armagh and this is exactly the same - we're not looking past Tyrone this weekend. We're going to prepare as well as we can and hope that we perform well. We are going to have to play our best football of the season to win this."
Tyrone just scraped through in their last round meeting with Fermanagh; Ger Cavlan's late free sealing their place in the semi final. It is the never-say-die, fight-to-the-finish attitude that has been the hallmark of Tyrone sides over the last few years.
That trait can now be applied to Donegal. They simply refuse to go away, even when all seems lost and every last millimetre of that determination will be required in Clones on Sunday.
In comparison with the Armagh fixture, McIver opined: "You will have the same level of intensity, but one thing that will differ is Tyrone's mobility on the ball. That will present us with a different type of a problem.
"But, you are looking at one of the sides that were favourites at the start of the year to win the All Ireland and we know that we'll have to play exceptionally well to win this one.
"The midfield battle is going to be very crucial on Sunday. If we can break even around the middle of the park and get a good supply of ball into the forwards we will have a chance. But, make no mistake about it; we are going to have to play better than we have at any stage this season if we are going to win this."
McIver is likely to name his team at lunchtime today as has become customary and all eyes will be on whether or not the injured duo of Michael Hegarty and Ciaran Bonner will be passed fit to play.
Donegal are boosted with the return of Brendan Devenney, who will add a bit more bite to the attack on Sunday while Eamon McGee and Adrian Sweeney have also recovered from knocks.
Sunday's game throws in at 2.15 and will be screened 'live' by RTE and BBC.
DON'T MISS MONDAY'S DONEGAL NEWS FOR FULL COVERAGE OF SUNDAY'S BIG GAME. Our team of reporters, Chris McNulty and Cronan Scanlon along with photographer Donna McBride will be on hand to bring all the reports, reaction and pics from the match!
"It's going to be seriously tough" - Harte
BY BARRY O'DONNELL
SUNDAY'S meaty confrontation in Clones brings together two counties with genuine and realistic aspirations of going all the way this summer, Tyrone boss Mickey Harte firmly believes.
The Red Hands are of course perennially tagged as livewire All-Ireland challengers these days on the back of their 2003 and 2005 successes, yet the astute Errigal Ciaran man now reckons that Donegal have also entered the top tier of potential Sam Maguire winners.
The Tir Conaill men have enhanced their CV in recent months by clinching the National League crown and also sending Armagh crashing out of the Anglo-Celt race.
Harte contends that no-nonsense manager Brian McIver has helped bring about this turnaround in both attitude and approach, arguing that the 'party boys' label which they had picked up no longer applied.
"That has been the case for some time. They picked up a name that they didn't totally deserve. Like every other county and bunch of players there's some people who enjoy a good time more than others, that's understandable. But I don't think they deserved this tag of party animals.
"Maybe there have been a few highlighted cases that have come against them but I do believe their mind is very much on the game now and they are focused on another All-Ireland title nevermind an Ulster one. They feel they are capable of doing it so when you have a team in that frame of mind its going to be a seriously tough game for us."
That said there were plenty of sighs of relief to be heard around the hills of Donegal when they stole Championship victory from Armagh right at the death in Ballybofey the last day, courtesy of an injury time goal. Harte reckons however that they were rewarded for their stickability and determination.
"The team that played better on the day came out on the wrong end of the result. But that happens sometimes in football.
"People can say there was an element of luck in Donegal's play buy you can only be lucky if you are in a position to avail of your luck. If they had been eight points behind a lucky goal wouldn't have solved it for them so they were within touching distance all the time and I suppose that's why they won the game in the end."
Tyrone themselves were hardly at their sparkling best in eking out a result against Fermanagh in their Championship opener, but again Harte was not losing much sleep over the below-par nature of much of their display.
"The Championship is solely about winning its as simple as that. The form that goes before, be it good or bad, is irrelevant when you play your first Championship match. Not many early Championship games are classics and that is why the result is all that counts.
"They are always tough encounters in particularly in our own province. We were very pleased with our one point win over Fermanagh because I rate them as a decent side. We had a number of people on the injured list and for anyone to think it was going to be any kind of a walk in the park was being naïve in the extreme. We never believed that and the outcome on the day proved that our view of things was probably more accurate."
Self-belief and confidence have been key ingredients in the Tyrone success story over the last few years, and Harte sees similar traits emerging in this current Donegal side.
"Winning Division 1A I feel is always a good barometer of a team's strength and to win it undefeated and then to go and win the National League undefeated is an even bigger achievement, I can't remember when that was last done. So they have quite a record in 2007 and they've have maintained that into the Championship even if they might say themselves they didn't play their best football."
It's one win each so far in 2007 after the two earlier meetings between the counties, but the Tyrone manager argues that the one-sided scorelines served up in each match was somewhat misleading.
"They'll have good memories of the league game and we have good memories of the McKenna Cup Final. Neither game maybe totally reflected the general play. They have obviously improved as the season has gone on but Donegal will probably be aware that Tyrone should have improved from their league form. So we should get a better game of football than was the case in both of those earlier meetings."
Tyrone have the upper hand
DONEGAL and Tyrone have met 15 times in the Championship over the years and it is the O'Neill County men who have the upper hand with nine wins under their belt to Donegal's five with one draw back in 1989.
The last time these sides met was also in an Ulster semi final in 2004 when a blistering total of 1-7 from Colm McFadden saw Donegal advance to the final.
Donegal's first victory came in 1919 when the Tir Chonaill men ran out 4-03 to 2-00 winners in Strabane while Tyrone provided the opposition on the occasion of Donegal's first Ulster Championship triumph.
On July 30th 1972, the two counties came head to head in the final at Clones and Donegal came out on top 2-13 to 1-11. The Donegal side on that day was: Alan Kane (Ballyshannon); Donal Monaghan (Donegal Town), Pauric McShea (Ballyshannon), John Boyce (Downings); Brian McEniff (Bundoran), Anthony Gallagher (St Eunans), Antoin Carroll (Gweedore); Seamus Bonnar (Donegal Town), Frankie McFeely (MacCumhaills); Martin Carney (Ballyshannon), Michael McMenamin (MacCumhaills), Declan O'Carroll (Bundoran); Seamie Granaghan (Bundoran), Michael Sweeney (St Eunans), Joe Winston (St Eunans). Subs: Andy Curran (MacCumhaills); John Hannigan (St Eunans).
The last Championship encounter
These sides last went head-to-head in the Championship three years ago, also at the semi final stage. On that occasion in Clones, Colm Mcfadden was in rip-roaring form as his quite superb tally of 1-07 gave Brian McEniff's men a five-point win.
Donegal started shakily and trailed 0-4 to 0-3 at the interval before a crowd that numbered in excess of 32,000. The Donegal hopes looked to have been shattered when Niall McCready was sent off, rather harshly, in the 34th minute for tussling with Owen Mulligan.
Two Colm McFadden frees and a Brian Roper point from play in stoppage time had kept Donegal in the hunt after a first half during which they played second fiddle for long periods, taking 23 minutes to open their account.
The second half though was a transformation. Donegal simply ran ragged and never looked back after McFadden levelled with the second half's first score. Christy Toye soon had Donegal in front and two McFadden frees quickly had them with a three-point cushion while Barry Monaghan got in on the act with a splendid score after being fed by Devenney.
St Michael's man McFadden then goaled and Donegal were on the brink of an Ulster final appearance.
Owen Mulligan and James Sweeney briefly cut the margin to four points, but fittingly McFadden tagged on the game's final point to seal Donegal's place in the decider.
The last meeting between the sides also marked the debut of Stephen Cassidy in a Donegal shirt. He came on as a second-half substitute.
The Donegal side that day was: Paul Durcan; Niall McCready, Raymond Sweeney, Damien Diver; Eamon McGee, Barry Monaghan (0-1), Shane Carr; Brian McLaughlin, Brendan Boyle; Christy Toye (0-1), Michael Hegarty, Brian Roper (0-1); Colm McFadden (1-7, 6f), Brendan Devenney, Adrian Sweeney (0-1). Subs: Stephen McDermott (for McLaughlin, 26mins); Stephen Cassidy (for Devenney, 62mins); John Gildea (for Toye, 70mins).
Previous meetings
1919 Donegal 4-03 Tyrone 2-00 Strabane
1924 Donegal 0-01 Tyrone 0-02 Letterkenny
1943 Donegal 0-07 Tyrone 1-08 Omagh
1953 Donegal 0-06 Tyrone 0-12 Ballybofey
1954 Donegal 1-05 Tyrone 1-07 Dungannon
1957 Donegal 2-03 Tyrone 3-05 Cavan
1972 Donegal 2-13 Tyrone 1-11 Clones
1973 Donegal 1-07 Tyrone 0-12 Ballybofey
1974 Donegal 1-09 Tyrone 0-08 Omagh
1979 Donegal 1-11 Tyrone 1-09 Irvinestown
1980 Donegal 0-09 Tyrone 1-17 Irvinestown
1989 Donegal 0-11 Tyrone 0-11 Clones
1989 Donegal 0-07 Tyrone 2-13 Clones
1994 Donegal 0-10 Tyrone 1-15 Cavan
2004 Donegal 1-11 Tyrone 0-09 Clones
