Donegal conserve energy for huge Armagh rematch

For Donegal, it was job done as they accounted for Down 1-19 to 0-16.

Nothing more, nothing less as Jim McGuinness maintained his record of managing the county to the Ulster decider in each of his six seasons in charge.

"We just had to be patient I suppose in some aspects and try and get over the line by hook or by crook," McGuinness told BBC Sport NI shortly after the final whistle.

His first specific piece of planning for Ulster Final day at Clones on Saturday week was removing Michael Murphy from the fray 10 minutes into the second half moments after his side had increased their advantage to nine points.

Oisin Gallen, teenage corner-back talent Finbarr Roarty and Patrick McBrearty were also called ashore with more than 15 minutes remaining and Down profited from the disruption as they hit three unanswered points to cut Donegal's advantage to six.

After Daire O Baoill spurned a glorious goal chance which would have put the contest to bed, as impressive Down keeper Ronan Burns made his first of two pointblank second-half saves, Michael Langan's thumping two-point free left eight between the sides with 12 minutes remaining.

But by now, Donegal were looking a little rattled and ragged and had substitute Shay Millar punished Shaun Patton's misdirected short kickout in the 60th by finding the net or perhaps by squaring to Pat Havern, it could have been a nervy finish for McGuinness's men.

But as had been the case in the first half when John McGeough failed to pick out the unmarked Patrick McCarthy with his hand pass across Shaun Patton's goal, the chance was butchered and with that, Down's faint hopes of another great escape expired.

Kieran McGeeney and his Armagh management team will pore over the match video but it won't tell them much that they didn't already know.

Perhaps they may note the way Down did yield a return of sorts from direct running at the Donegal defence in the second period.

Down's first-half approach had largely involved a slow build-up which while it did contain Donegal during the opening quarter, soon became woefully ineffective as the champions' defensive cordon started to snaffle turnovers.

But the truth is that Donegal were able to largely keep their powder dry as they played their third championship match in a four-week period.

"That's our third game in three weeks and that definitely does take it out of you eventually but no we're happy to be in the final," McGuinness told BBC Sport NI afterwards.

"Armagh are back there again. That's going to be a massive challenge for us. All-Ireland champions and a repeat of last year's final.

"We know what's going to be coming but at the same time, we also know that it's going to be a massive occasion and a fantastic occasion with colour and all that so we have to look forward to it as well."

As we hacks continued to tap away on our laptops in the Clones pressbox, two very nice men from Ulster GAA informed us that we'd be back in St Tiernach's Park on Saturday week as opposed to battling with the Drumcondra Road traffic on the way to Croke Park.

If we had remembered, we might have asked them for a comment on Down forward John McGeough's apparent first-half stamp on Donegal centre half-back Stephen McMenamin, which particularly incensed Ciaran Thompson but was seemingly missed by Joe McQuillan and his fellow match officials.

It will now be up to the disciplinary authorities to decide whether a retrospective appraisal of the incident may be necessary which could imperil McGeough's prospects of featuring in Down's opening games in the All-Ireland group stages.

Derry's Gareth McKinless received a two-game suspension for a stamp on Galway's Damien Comer last year although the Oak Leaf defender's transgression was spotted by the match officials in the Salthill game as he received a red card.