2013 Donegal Senior Football Championship

Format

The old format, which involved a two-legged first round, was scrapped in favour of an opening round containing four groups of four clubs, played out as a league, and with one team relegated. Two of the four teams in each group advanced to the quarter-finals after each have played the others once.

Teams finishing bottom of their group played two relegation semi-finals. The losing relegation semi-final teams met in the relegation final. The losing team was relegated to the Donegal Intermediate Football Championship to be replaced either by the Intermediate Championship winning team or the team finishing seventh in the All-County League Division Two. The match schedule was released in March 2013 and matches began over the June Bank Holiday weekend.

Donegal captain Michael Murphy begged the Donegal County Board to reconsider the scheduling of the Donegal SFC, as his team set out to defend the Sam Maguire Cup. Murphy described it as "probably not ideal from our situation", and despaired over "the hand we're dealt with" but said he would "like them to look after us in that way". They didn't.

Draw

The draw for the first round, made at the RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta studios in Derrybeg in February 2013, produced a "group of death", with only two from Glenwilly, St Michael's and Cill Chartha progressing to the quarter-finals. The 2012 finalists St Eunan's and Naomh Conaill were also placed in the same group.

Results

Group stage

Four Masters, St Michael's and Naomh Conaill, considered "big guns", failed to progress from their respective groups.

A

B

C

D

Relegation semi-finals

Relegation final

Knock-out stage

| score-width= 35 | RD1-team1= Seán Mac Cumhaills | RD1-score1= | RD1-team2= Na Cealla Beaga | RD1-score2= | RD1-team3= Malainn | RD1-score3= | RD1-team4= Naomh Adhamhnáin | RD1-score4= | RD1-team5= Gaoth Dobhair | RD1-score5= | RD1-team6= Ard an Rátha | RD1-score6= | RD1-team7= Glenswilly | RD1-score7= | RD1-team8= Cill Chartha | RD1-score8= | RD2-team1= Malainn | RD2-score1= | RD2-team2= Na Cealla Beaga | RD2-score2= | RD2-team3= Glenswilly | RD2-score3= | RD2-team4= Ard an Rátha | RD2-score4= | RD3-team1= Na Cealla Beaga | RD3-score1= | RD3-team2= Glenswilly | RD3-score2=

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals took place on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta on 9 July, upon the completion of the group stage. All four group winners from the first round were defeated at the quarter-final stage, including defending champions St Eunan's.

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was made in Letterkenny on 15 September 2013.

Final

Ahead of the final Glenswilly player and Donegal captain Michael Murphy was named Ireland captain for the 2013 International Rules Series, creating a dilemma for the young pup and giving the Donegal County Board a headache due a fixture clash. The Donegal County Board ultimately decided not to move the final. Murphy did not captain Glenswilly; this honour fell to James Pat McDaid. Séamus Coleman attended the final.

Ulster Senior Club Football Championship

Main article: 2013 Ulster Senior Club Football Championship, 2013–14 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship

References

References

1. (31 May 2013). "McEniff to manage Bundoran seniors in Championship". [[Donegal News]].
2. (8 February 2013). "New SFC format". Hogan Stand.
3. (17 February 2013). "2013 Club Championship draw made". Donegal Now.
4. (5 March 2013). "June weekend start in senior championship". Donegal Democrat.
5. (24 June 2013). "'Put Club Championship on ice' says captain Murphy". Donegal Democrat.
6. (26 June 2013). "Murphy's plea falls on deaf ears". Hogan Stand.
7. (17 February 2013). "Kilcar, St. Michael's and Glenswilly in Group of Death". Donegal Democrat.
8. (18 February 2013). "GAA – John Joe Doherty On Donegal Senior Championship Draw". Highland Radio.
9. Walsh, Harry. (18 February 2013). "St Eunan's and beaten finalists Naomh Conaill have been paired". Donegal News.
10. (17 February 2013). "GAA: Donegal Championship draw in full".
11. (1 July 2013). "Donegal Senior Championship Review". Highland Radio.
12. (5 July 2013). "Last eight places up for grabs". Hogan Stand.
13. (12 July 2013). "SFC quarterfinal draw made". Hogan Stand.
14. (15 September 2013). "Semi-final drawn in ‘wide open’ Championship". Donegal News.
15. Moran, Seán. (8 October 2013). "Michael Murphy must wait to see if club versus country dilemma can be resolved: Donegal county board postpone for 24 hours decision on deferring county final". The Irish Times.
16. Keys, Colm. (4 October 2013). "Captain Michael Murphy faces club v country dilemma". Irish Independent.
17. (9 October 2013). "Ireland captain Michael Murphy faces International Rules and Donegal final on same weekend". RTÉ.
18. (5 October 2013). "No-one taking anything for granted in club semi-finals". Donegal Now.
19. Fennessy, Paul. (20 October 2013). "Seamus Coleman was at the Glenswilly-Killybegs game today: The Irish soccer player will have been disappointed at the outcome of this afternoon's match". [[TheScore.ie]].