Champions again: Donegal win Ulster title after dramatic shoot-out win over Armagh

Donegal are Ulster champions for the eleventh time after a nerve-breaking penalty shoot-out win over Armagh in Clones.

Donegal kept their nerves and the Anglo Celt is back in the Hills.

A gripping contest couldn't separate the teams, who were level nine times throughout. Not even the first ten penalties could throw up a winner.

It all hung on sudden death. Aaron Dohery scored for the second time and Shaun Patton leapt to his right in front of the O'Duffy Terrace to save from Shane McPartlan and confirming Donegal as provincial kings.

They showed nerves of steel to hit back from the brink to win as Jim McGuinness grabbed his fourth Ulster title as Donegal manager. The win is the latest step in Donegal's second renaissance under the Glenties man's guidance.

Sub Odhran Doherty rescued the day for Donegal with a superb score in the dying moments of extra time to earn penalties after McGuinness's men came from four points behind.

The shame was the 'result on the day' protocols meaning that a shoot-out denied the 28,896 crowd a second day out for a rerun.

Doherty's point meant that a second Ulster final in a row went to spot kicks. Penalties denied Armagh in the 2023 final when Derry triumphed and Kieran McGeeney's wait for Ulster success as a manager continues.

When Stefan Campbell slammed over in the 46^th minute, the Lurgan man gestured to the Armagh folk in the capacity audience. Sure enough, their volume went up.

Oisin Gallen was off target with a '45 soon after and the worries swept across those attired in green and gold.

Niall O'Donnell ended a 20-minute wait for a Donegal score and it was, as the clock and scoreboard each suggested, needed.

Twice, via a Rian O'Neill mark and another point from play by Campbell, Armagh had it out to four, the latter of those coming after referee Martin McNally waved away calls for a Donegal free when Gallen seemed to have been tripped up.

That score from Campbell was Armagh's last of normal time.

Scores from O'Donnell, Gallen and Jason McGee hoisted Donegal right back into it and there was only the bare minimum between them, 0-15 to 0-14, when the stewards were called to their end-of-match positions.

Patrick McBrearty, who had been left out of the starting XV, took aim to even matters up in the 64^th minute and Donegal were spared when Ciaran Mackin fired wide with a mark that could have won it for Armagh.

Two points off the boot of Aidan Nugent, the second of them a free, had Armagh leading 0-18 to 0-17 at half-time in extra time, but Doherty lifted the burning embers from the fireplace to take it to penalties.

It was a day that changed – on the pitch and off it – at various junctures.

In the 29^th minute, a flash of lighting cracked across the Clones sky. The heavens opened and down came the rain.

The bells tolled from the Sacred Heart Church as Martin McNally threw the O'Neills into the Clones air at 3pm.

By the time the Monaghan official for the ball at half-time, with Armagh 0-10 to 0-9 in front, the thunder rolled and the old market down was under a downpour.

That there was little to separate the sides ought not to have been a surprise. After all, they had shared two tight struggles in the League earlier this year.

At the Athletic Grounds in February, Shane O'Donnell's late point rescued a 0-12 to 1-9 draw for Donegal, who subsequently won a tight Division 2 final at Croke Park, where they prevailed 0-15 to 0-14 thanks to a last-gasp winner from Aaron Doherty.

Armagh landed two in a minute, through Turbitt and Andrew Murnin, to draw level after Daire Ó Baoill's raking effort had Donegal two in front, 0-6 to 0-4, in the 19^th minute.

Turbitt, with his third of the afternoon, fired Armagh in front from distance.

The lead was restored when Mackin arched between the sticks after Gallen brought Donegal onto a level pegging again

Mackin's score was the fifth time in the first half that Armagh issued an instant riposte after a Donegal score at the other end.

Aidan Forker opened the scoring for Armagh after only 53 seconds, but Gallen took advantage when a momentary gap appeared to get Donegal off the mark.

Gallen turned provider when, having cushioned a perfect pass from Jason McGee, he popped off to the scurrying figure of Peadar Mogan to put Donegal in front.

It was brief, though, as Rory Grugan hit back for Armagh, who saw Greg McCabe replace Jarly Og Burns in their starting team, the only change made from their extra time win over Cavan in the semi-final with McGeeney keeping faith with Blaine Hughes in goal.

Having missed Donegal's win over Tyrone 14 days earlier, Shaun Patton was passed fit to start here while Eoghán Bán Gallagher, absent through injury since coming off midway through a League encounter in Cavan on February 4, came in from the cold to start. The Killybegs man took the place of captain McBrearty in a shock change.

Shane O'Donnell delightfully curled his name onto the score sheet and put Donegal ahead by two, 0-5 to 0-3, with a superb score in the 16^th minute, but Turbitt managed to raise the umpire's flag at the O'Duffy Terrace end barely 30 seconds later.

Three-in-a-row by Armagh in as many minutes swung the pendulum, but Gallen's fifth of the day, while under intense pressure, had things tied again only for Ben Crealey, from a mark, to give Armagh the slender half-time lead.

McGuinness and McGeeney battled it out many times during those years in the early noughties when Donegal and Armagh were perennial foes.

McGeeney, captain in 2002 when Armagh won the All-Ireland, arrived in Clones still in search of a first Anglo Celt as Armagh's manager in this, his tenth year in the role.

Turbitt and Oisin Conaty struck a pair of points after the changeover and Armagh suddenly found themselves three ahead. Rian O'Neill was off cue with a '45 and Donegal, needing to find a spark, summonsed McBrearty and the Kilcar man sizzled over an equaliser.

The drama was still to begin.

It was around 6.30pm when Ciaran Thompson, Aaron Doherty, Michael Langan, Jason McGee and  Daire Ó Baoill converted from the spot for Donegal with Shane McPartlan, Oisin Conaty, Conor Turbitt and Tiernan Kelly responding to take it to sudden death.

Just over three-and-a-half hours after the game got underway, the green and gold hoards spilled back onto the Clones sod, Patton saved from McPartlan and McBrearty was soon taking receipt of the silverware.

Donegal scorers: Oisin Gallen 0-6, 2f; Patrick McBrearty 0-3, 1f; Shane O'Donnell, Peadar Mogan, Niall O'Donnell 0-2 each; Michael Langan, Daire Ó Baoill, Jason McGee, Jeaic Mac Ceallabhui, Odhran Doherty 0-1 each.

Armagh scorers: Conor Turbitt 0-4; Aidan Nugent 0-3, 1m; Stefan Campbell, Oisin Conaty, Andrew Murnin 0-2 each; Ben Crealey 0-2, 1m; Rian O'Neill 0-1, 1m; Ciaran Mackin, Rory Grugin, Aidan Forker, Oisin O'Neill 0-1 each.

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Mark Curran; Brendan McCole, Ciaran Moore; Eoghán Bán Gallagher, Caolan McGonagle, Peadar Mogan; Jason McGee, Michael Langan; Shane O'Donnell, Ciaran Thompson, Daire Ó Baoill; Ryan McHugh, Oisin Gallen, Niall O'Donnell. Subs: Caolan McColgan for Curran (half-time), Patrick McBrearty for Moore (42), Aaron Doherty for Ó Baoill (46), Jamie Brennan for Gallagher (55), Jeaic Mac Ceallabhui for Thompson (67), Odhran Doherty for Gallen (74), Ó Baoill for N.O'Donnell (half-time, extra time), Thompson for McBrearty (88).

Armagh: Blaine Hughes; Paddy Burns, Aaron McKay, Peter McGrane; Joe McElroy, Ciaran Mackin, Aidan Forker; Rian O'Neill, Ben Crealey; Stefan Campbell, Rory Grugan, Greg McCabe; Oisin Conaty, Andrew Murnin, Conor Turbitt. Subs: Jarly Og Burns for McCabe (61), Oisin O'Neill for Crealey (66), Aidan Nugent for Turbitt (67), Tiernan Kelly for Forker (70), Jason Duffy for McElroy (full-time, normal time), Jemar Hall for McGrane (79), Turbitt for R.O'Neill (85), Shane McPartlan for Mackin (89).

Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan)