Donegal lucky to escape Semple Stadium with the points
Donegal nervously held on to defeat Tipperary at Semple Stadium on Saturday night to obtain two valuable league points.
It means that John Joe Doherty's team are almost guaranteed their safety in the second flight, and with home games to come against Meath and Armagh, both of whom also have six points, still might harbour hopes of promotion.
Before an attendance of less tha 450 paying spectators, Donegal had to endure almost five minutes of added time with Tipperary pushing for an equaliser before finally the ball went out of play and Michael Collins blew the final whistle, must to the relief of the small band of Donegal supporters who had make the long trek south.
Donegal were the dominant side in the opening quarter with Michael Murphy really on fire. The Glenswilly had the first score on three minutes but it only came after Paul Durcan had made a great stop from Barry Grogan at the other end.
Tipperary got back on terms through Philip Austin but Donegal forged into a good lead with three points from Murphy from the eighth to 13th minutes, two of which were frees, while Colm McFadden added another to push Donegal 0-5 to 0-1 up with 20 minutes gone.
But they were then hit with a sucker punch when Tipperary got a very soft goal from a '45', Stephen Hahessy's effort misjudged by Durcan and it ended up in the net.
The goal certainly got Tipperary into the game and they had their best period in the next 10 minutes but failed to capitalise on the scoreboard with the Four Masters goalkeeper making amends, denying Hahessy a point from a free.
A minute into added time Colm McFadden landed a long distance free to get Donegal's first score in some sixteen minutes to send them to the dressing rooms ahead by 0-6 to 1-1.
Barry Grogan was side from a free early in the second half while Murphy stretched the Donegal lead with a free, but Tipperary came storming back with points from centre-back Robbie Costigan and Brian Coen.
John Joe Doherty sent in Eoin Waide and moved Kevin Cassidy to midfield and the changes had an effect as Neil Gallagher made a great catch and found Murphy who combined with McFadden and Stephen Griffin was on the end of a great move to fire to the net and a four points lead.
Murphy added two more frees, the second after a foul on David Walsh, to stretch the lead further, but Tipperary again hit back once more.
An effort from a point by John Cagney dropped short and Costigan got forward again from the back to fist to the Donegal net and Barry Grogan added a free to reduce the margin to two points with 11 minutes left.
It got even more nervous for the visitors when Grogan added another point from a free on the stroke of time and they then had to endure almost five minutes of added time before finally getting the result, which will ease their relegation worries.
They can again thank Murphy, who was really the difference between the sides. His seven points were very important, but there must also be worries that - the goal apart - the Glenswilly man and McFadden are carrying the burden of the Donegal scores with none of the starting half-forward line getting on the scoreboard once again.
Scorers - Tipperary: Robbie Costigan 1-1; Stephen Hahessy 1-0, '45'; Barry Grogan 0-2,2f; Philip Austin, Brian Coen 0-1 each.
Donegal: M Murphy 0-7,5f; Stephen Griffin 1-0; Colm McFadden 0-2,1f.
Tipperary: P Fitzgerald; C McDonald, N Curran, P Codd; C Aylward, R Costigan, C McGrath; G Hannigan, H Coghlan; P Acheson, P Austin, B Mulvihill; S Hahessy, B Coen, B Grogan.
Subs: S Carey for Mulvihill ht; J Cagney for Hahessy 43; R O'Dwyer for Acheson; D Burke for McGrath, both 63; A Rockett for Coghlan 65
Donegal: P Durcan; S Boyle, N McGee, K Lacey; M Maguire, A Thompson, K Cassidy; N Gallagher, B Boyle; D Walsh, C Dunne, B Dunnion; C McFadden, M Murphy, A Hanlon. Subs., F McGlynn for Maguire; S Griffin for Hanlon, both ht; O Waide for Boyle 39; L McLoone for Dunnion 64
Referee: M Collins (Cork)
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Weather for Donegal
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy rain
Temperature: 3 C to 10 C
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