A Point a Piece in Ballyshannon Battle

Donegal only have themselves to blame after seeing a three point lead evaporate with Conor McManus’ coolly taken stoppage-time penalty in Fr Tierney Park yesterday.

The home team were in control for most of the second half, repelling the Farney attacks with relative ease while giving the umpire with the white flag enough to do at the other end.

The breeze played a big part in proceedings, as it usually does at the venue perched high above Ballyshannon below. Both team’s shooting was erratic with neither able to judge the wind with any degree of confidence.

Even taking the elements into consideration, there was no excuse for some of the poor striking technique on show. Donegal’s first half waywardness was in stark contrast to the economical nature of the returns garnered last week by the banks of The Finn.

Micheal Carroll’s early goal set the hosts on their way and it was a vital score to have in the bank such was the amount of subsequent chances squandered during the remainder of the half.

Carroll's effort and work rate off the ball has been encouraging in the games so far but in most games his finishing has let him down; he made no mistake this time, drilling the ball under Rory Beggan despite being fouled as he struck the ball.

Michael Murphy has mucked in at midfield alongside Carroll, doing plenty of selfless work but he was back in the familiar role of chief scorer. The big man finished up with 0-7 which included three delightful scores from play, his first from open country in 2017.

Monaghan didn’t let the early goal concession affect them though and with Jack McCarron on song they didn’t take long to wrestle the lead from their familiar foes.

McCarron gained the upper hand on Neil McGee and with the Gaoth Dobhair man picking up a yellow card before half-time a change was needed. McGee’s clubmate Ciaran Gillespie was introduced for his first taste of league action this year and made a terrific impact. He’s a tigerish defender, mad to attack the ball and now that he appears to be over his recent hamstring trouble, could prove to be an important player over the summer months.

Another man making his return from injury was Paddy McBrearty and he was gleefully greeted by the 6,000+ crowd on his introduction in the second half. This was the Kilcar sharpshooter’s first appearance since coming off with a groin problem in Hyde Park and he made up for lost time, stroking over two fine points.

McBrearty initially played quite deep which didn’t help the Donegal attack as it allowed Monaghan to push out and clog up the middle of the pitch. Time and again runners were turned over, with Eoin McHugh in particular losing possession several times. When McBrearty moved closer to goal he took a couple of defenders with him and Donegal built a decent lead in this period which should have been enough to see them home.

With McCarron’s influence waning and Paddy McGrath keeping tabs on McManus, the two league points looked a safe bet.

Holding a three point margin, Donegal became a wee bit lackadaisical in their shooting. A few shots drifted to the wrong sides of the uprights, many of them lazy efforts lacking in conviction.

There was nothing absent from McManus’ penalty, awarded following a Martin McElhinney foul on Kieran Hughes. Out of nowhere, Monaghan suddenly secured a point they scarcely merited. It meant Donegal GAA ended the week on somewhat of a downer following brilliant senior and U21 wins over Tyrone.

By that stage, the team had lost Ryan McHugh to an ankle problem and it’s unlikely he’ll be seeing any action in Castlebar next week. Once he’s fit and well for June, that’s all that matters. McHugh had a frustrating afternoon getting constantly dragged and fouled off the ball; he’s probably getting used to it at this stage but it still doesn’t make it any less infuriating.

McHugh was the second player carried off after a worrying incident early on when Ryan McAnespie collided with Hugh McFadden. McAnespie was taken to hospital with suspected concussion.

The wellbeing of sporting stars in the North West has been brought into sharp focus this week of course. There was an uneasy hush around Lansdowne Road on Friday night as the medics treated Seamus Coleman and the messages of goodwill that he has received since shows his standing in the game. Captain, leader and legend.

At the complete other end of the spectrum of tragedy was the passing of Derry’s Ryan McBride. A young man in the prime of his life taken away.

It makes no sense. Life often doesn’t.

Rebels Offer Little Resistance to Deadly Donegal

After last week’s cakewalk in Pairc Esler, Rory Gallagher would have been anticipating a much tougher test from Cork in Ballyshannon yesterday. Instead it was more of the same from his charges – blistering speed, wonderful link-play, rugged defence and some fantastic scores.

There seemed to be a sense of surprise amongst the crowd at how easy it all was in the opening exchanges. Cork kept a plethora of bodies back in an attempt to stifle Donegal but it had the reverse effect. The visitors were pinned back and couldn’t escape from their own half of the field in the first quarter.

They struggled from their own restarts, with newcomer Brendan O’Connell in goal finding it almost impossible to retain primary possession with neither long nor short options working.

Aside from the ease with which Donegal scythed through the Rebel rear-guard, the Fr Tierney Park crowd bore witness to another surprise, a collector’s item even – two successive wides in as many minutes from Michael Murphy, including one that was the wrong side of the net rigging behind the goals. If his free taking was befitting something from the Gods last week, Michael was in a more mortal state yesterday. He did include one party piece, a stunning fifty metre strike from the floor but in any case, there were plenty others who had brought their shooting boots, giving The Maestro a well earned break from scoring duty.

Despite incessant rain throughout, it was an unusually placid day in South Donegal (certainly compared to the prevailing conditions in the same fixture last year) with the slight breeze playing no significant part in proceedings. This provided the perfect platform for Patrick McBrearty and Odhran MacNiallais to wow the crowd with their sumptuous shooting.

McBrearty was in outstanding form in last year’s league but niggling injuries kept him from reaching his best in the Summer. If he can stay fit he will torment many a corner back over the coming months. There are few better in the country at getting shots away in limited space; once he wriggles free from his marker and sees a half a yard of daylight, his radar-like left peg usually finds the target.

There’s something different yet very special about seeing a player firing a booming point over the bar off his ciotog. From our own Colm McFadden to past figures like Jarlath Fallon or Stephen O’Neill, the technique of these greats is wonderful to witness. McBrearty and MacNiallais are certainly keeping up the trend with aplomb.

Odhran grabbed all the headlines yesterday with his 1-4 tally from his roving midfield/half forward role. Time and again he drifted in and out of moves, taking and giving hand passes, keeping the ball in transit and then whenever he arrives at the end of a move in space he lets fly with that languid motion.

While the aforementioned duo led the scoring stats, the man who had the most influence on proceedings was Eoin McHugh. He had an excellent match last week but lifted his game to another level yesterday. He was involved in so many of Donegal’s scores, often initiating attacks with his direct running. Despite the modern game being analysed to the nth degree, there is one thing that can never be coached – pace. At times the Cork defence simply could not keep up with McHugh. One example was McBrearty’s point that started at the other end of the pitch with a brilliant goal-saving touch from Neil McGee. The ball was fed to McHugh on the touchline who accelerated away, leaving two Cork defenders trailing in his wake trying in vain to catch him.

McHugh has great maturity and awareness of what is around him at any given time and an innate understanding of the game. As he surveyed his options in the lead up to the second goal yesterday, he was well within his rights to tap over a simple point. Instead he sensed a goal opportunity and worked the ball across to McGee who fed MacNiallais to drill to the net. Goals are more important than ever before in Gaelic football; a breach of a well organised defence is worth as much in the psychological stakes as the green flag that follows.

There is no let-up for defenders against this current Donegal setup; anytime Eoin needs a breather, up steps his cousin Ryan. With a McHugh stationed on either wing, Donegal’s running threat never ceases and if the lads are in full flow, it is close to being undefendable.

Eoin played a big part in the game’s opening goal, finding space on the 21 before returning Martin O’Reilly’s pass and the Mac Cumhaills man did the rest. Following his sojourn at half back against Down, O’Reilly returned to an inside attacking role this week and displayed all his killer instincts in finishing low past O’Connell.

It was another flowing, short passing move much like two of the majors plundered in Newry. These types of precise attacks replete with one-twos, give and go’s and quick hands are much easier to execute since the advent of the black card and in particular the penalty for the illegal block after a player has played a pass.

The other black card category offences remain contentious, Ciaran Thompson was the latest to fall foul of the ambiguity of implementation. He was sent to the line for a late shoulder on an opponent yet despite being floored with an even later hit after delivering his pass in the build up to the second goal, McHugh’s aggressor stayed on the field. These aren’t majorly defining match incidents when the margin of victory reaches double figures but come Championship these could be the difference between winning and losing.

Up until then Thompson was having another good outing, although he was outdone by his brother in the scoring stakes. As is now customary, like Scholes or Lampard in their pomp, Anthony can run the length of the field unnoticed and suddenly appear, stealth-like, in yards of space to pop over the simplest of scores. Twice he managed the trick in the first half and the remainder of his work was carried out with the minimum of fuss but the greatest efficiency.

Even towards the end of the game, with stoppage time approaching, Thompson was covering his defence, doing his job in his unassuming way before throwing himself in front of a goal bound Cork shot.

Paddy McGrath is another who rarely seems too concerned about his own personal safety if it’s for the good of the team. He epitomises the collective effort of the team and in one instance in the first half was quite happy to get a belt in the face knowing that a free was on its way. He took the hit, put the ball down and jogged back to his wing back spot – no fuss, just business.

That was the mantra for everyone yesterday. Even though the lead was increasing throughout the second half, there was no slacking off in concentration or exertion. Hugh McFadden was among the most vocal on the field, constantly barking out orders, reminding those in front of him who to pick up and cajoling them to expend the last drops of energy they had left in the tank.

McGrath did a number on one of Cork’s most influential operators, Paul Kerrigan, who was such a threat against Mayo last week. His trademarks runs were missing yesterday as the terrier from Ardara completely nullified his contribution.

Another of the star performers in Cork’s win over Mayo last week, Daniel Goulding, had a similarly frustrating afternoon. With Eamonn Doherty keeping him company, he found it almost impossible to break free from the shackles of the Eunan’s defender, who appeared to be in cruise control. Indeed, Goulding only managed to score from play after Doherty had been removed from the action before the hour mark.

So as the lads escape whatever storms are heading our way next, they head for sunnier climes in fine fettle. Five goals scored in two games and only fifteen scores conceded means a healthy points difference and top spot in the Division One standings.

Another win will secure safety and anything after that will be deemed bonus territory. Our old friends Mayo are up next and with Stephen Rochford experiencing somewhat of a baptism of fire in the manager’s hotseat, the joust in Ballybofey in three weeks has all the makings of a feisty encounter.

Donegal Dismiss Rebel Resistance

Home fixture, home win – that’s generally how things go for Donegal when it comes to league football and so it proved today. It was just a one point win in the end which would suggest a close game but in truth Donegal were a notch above their visitors from the Rebel County.

It was a typical Spring encounter in Ballyshannon – bitterly cold, a biting wind and even a hail shower or two thrown in. It all made for very tough conditions for the players and also for the Aodh Ruadh club volunteers manning the tea-stand – a gust of wind just after the half time whistle almost sent their takings into orbit but quick hands from everyone in the queue managed to keep the club accounts in the black.

Despite the slim margin at the final whistle, it was in the early stages that the battle was decided. With the wind at their backs, Cork went back to their old habits of lateral passing and slow build up play which suited Donegal’s massed defence. It was the wrong approach to take with a stiff breeze behind them and five points was a paltry return at the break - Donegal managed seven in the second half but with fourteen men for much of it. 

The Rebels failed to get quick ball into their lethal inside line of Donnacha O’Connor, Brian Hurley and Colm O’Neill although the latter’s failure to score from play can also be attributed to the strong display of Neil McGee, who made his first start of the year.

At the other end of the field, the hosts were methodical in their attack construction as they faced the elements as well as Cork’s own blanket defence.

It was a tough combination to break down but going in level at the break was a decent return and it was primarily down to the finishing of Martin O’Reilly. The diminutive forward has a knack of popping up towards the end of moves in a yard of space and is prepared to try his luck with efforts on the target. His endeavour is being rewarded thus far in Division One and an impressive return of 0-4 from play was etched beside his name in the final totting up, a marvellous scoring feat considering the conditions.

For the second game in succession, Michael Murphy didn’t see out the full seventy minutes – a deserved black card against Dublin three weeks ago was followed today by a harsh second yellow caution. Up until that dismissal around the fifty minute mark, his side were in complete control having gone on a five point, unanswered scoring rampage at the start of the second half.

Such is Michael’s tackling style that he sails dangerously close to the wind at times yet he could have been given some leniency by Joe McQuillan today for what seemed an honest enough attempt at a challenge. The Cavan official seemed to be of the opinion that any subsequent foul to the initial yellow card results in an automatic second, which should not be the case.

In any event, Donegal needed to weather the storm that was thrown at them following the discharge of their captain and it was in the closing stages that Patrick McBrearty and Odhran MacNiallais showed great leadership and took on scoring responsibility. McBrearty scored the winner with a lovely finish after wriggling free of two red jerseys and it continued his fine run of form.

MacNiallais had a superb game from start to finish and it’s hugely encouraging to see that he’s not resting on his laurels after a sterling breakthrough season in 2014. The Gaoth Dobhair clubman is looking to push on and become a mainstay of this team and his maturity and intelligence develops with every outing.

Others to impress included Mark McHugh and Frank McGlynn with the phenomenal stamina that both players possess being utilised to the maximum today such was the amount of running required on the heavy pitch.

Neil Gallagher put in his customary effortless performance of fielding, defending and initiating attacks. While all around him, lads are straining every sinew to make and track runs, the big Glenswilly man does everything at his own pace and makes midfield play look so easy. He bossed the middle third today and at one stage in the second half, Cork used their numerical advantage to double team him on Paul Durcan’s restarts.

Durcan had a big bearing on the first half, illustrating how a goalkeeper should deal with kicking into a strong breeze. The low trajectory of his kicks gained both possession and distance for his side and allowed his team to start attacks from further up the pitch. Conversely Ken O’Halloran made a mess of his kick-outs at the start of the second period and the subsequent surrender of possession played a part in Donegal gaining such a foothold at that time in the contest; after the sending off, the Cork No 1 had a spare player to find and this made the retention of the ball much easier.

The manager’s main gripe after the Dublin match was his team’s lack of composure and failure to put away their chances. He won’t have been too happy with today’s closing quarter in that regard as his side should have been much further ahead before Tomas Clancy’s goal made for an unnecessarily nervy finish. Substitute Colm McFadden and the lively Ryan McHugh managed to spurn an excellent goal chance by over-playing the ball while shooting chances were ignored and the extra pass played a little too often.

The team’s economy in front of goal has a lot of room for improvement and next week in O’Donnell Park would be a good place to start.

Dún na nGall Too Good for Wee County

After only securing one point from the last four on offer, Donegal got back on the promotion track today with a relatively straight forward win - but they did make life hard for themselves in the second half in Ballyshannon.

Having started the two previous games against Meath and Down sluggishly, today Jim McGuinness’ men were quick out of the traps and made a blistering start, out-scoring their opponents by 0-6 to 0-1 early on and this was pushed out  as far as 0-12 to 0-1.

Louth were only out on the field a couple of minutes before throw-in and they were extremely slow to settle once the ball was thrown in. In their pre-match warm up half an hour earlier, it was strange seeing them play small-sided games with kids-sized footballs – Donegal at the other end of the field stuck to the size fives and it showed in the first quarter with fine scores taken from Dermot Molloy and Declan Walsh amongst others.

Molloy only just passed a fitness test moments before throw-in, having tweaked ligaments in his ankle in the game in Newry. Neil Gallagher didn’t make the Donegal starting line-up – he picked up a muscle strain in action for Glenswilly last weekend – although Louth had their own version playing in goal; he was a busy man with kick-outs as the home side swarmed forward at every opportunity, determined to post a big score.

Jim had been annoyed with his troops’ lack of economy in front of the posts in their last match and with two shooting drills finding their way into the warm-up routine, it was clear that they meant business in this facet of their play. Today his side managed more points in the first half (0-13) than they had managed in the entirety of either of the last two games.

With Martin McElhinney unable to start and Gallagher not fit to come in as a direct swap, it was left to Christy Toye to line up alongside Rory Kavanagh in the engine room. Both players put in excellent displays with Kavanagh the best man on show. His fielding, surging runs forward and finishing ability make him such a good all-rounder and we saw a vintage performance today from the Eunan’s man.

It is a huge credit to Toye that he has the fitness and conditioning to be able to undertake a midfield role having been on the sidelines for so long; he, just like his sidekick Kavanagh, registered a brace of points in the opening period.

Aside from the absence of the emigrated Ryan Bradley, few would have thought there would be much change to the Donegal championhsip starting fifteen from last year to this. As we near the end of the league though Toye, Ryan McHugh and Odhran MacNiallais would appear to have secured their starting jerseys for the Celtic Park showdown and that turnover of players is crucial for the panel this year.

McHugh came on for the second half of the game while his U-21 captain, Patrick McBrearty, started in attack; both men will be vital to Donegal’s attempt to get back into another provincial final on Wednesday night.

Back to today and the visitors simply had no answer to Donegal’s running game in the early stages and had only a single point to show for almost the entire first half. They picked up two black cards in their attempts to stop the Donegal waves of attack and only a late goal put some semblance of respectability on the half-time scoreboard. It was a crazy decision to let the goal stand though, with Paul Durcan being clattered as he rose to claim a high ball into his square and the Four Masters man should have been given a free out.

The next phase of the game will not have pleased neither supporters nor management. Donegal seemed to canter through the third quarter and over elaborated in attack, not taking scores when they were on. The Wee County made them pay for this with two quick fire goals and an earlier free - suddenly the gap had gone from ten points to just three. This awoke the hosts from their slumber though and they replied with a major of their own – a thunderous finish to the roof of the net from substitute David Walsh after neat link up play to fashion the chance. It was a sign of the annoyance running through the team at their own sloppiness in the preceding period as any one of Molloy, the younger McHugh or Colm McFadden could have popped the ball over for a point but it was a goal they wanted.

Louth kept plugging away and the movement and sharpness of their full forward line was causing problems for Donegal’s last line. The absence of old fashioned markers like Paddy McGrath, Frank McGlynn and Karl Lacey, who was taken off at half time, exposes this full-back line. Regardless of defensive templates and blanket systems, teams still need to have a few specialist defenders who can mark their man and be out in front of the ball; Neil McGee apart that was lacking at times today.

Overall though the objective was to get two more points and that is exactly what Donegal did -  themselves and Monaghan are out in front of the chasing pack so a draw next week in the Athletic Grounds will secure promotion and a league final place but depending on other results they may well have done enough already. An additional league outing, on the best sod in the country on Jones Road, would be welcome as it would help in getting the likes of Neil Gallagher and Paddy McGrath closer to full fitness ahead of the Derry game. That is why Donegal won’t want to rely on other results to secure their passage so it’ll be full tilt for a win next Sunday against Armagh.

The Messiah's Boys Back on Track

A good day at the office for The Messiah’s men in Ballyshannon today and we’re right back in the mix of things in Division One. The way the table is shaping up both relegation and a semi final spot are both possibilities - all that is certain is that everything will boil down to the final game against Armagh on Easter Sunday.

Things started off slowly enough with Mayo looking like we did in the opening stages last week - fresh, fit and full of running. After a fisted effort from Patrick McBrearty, it took an exceptional point from Michael Murphy to really get things going. With Mayo men hanging off him and no sign of a free being awarded, the ball almost got away from the Maestro; but he decided against trying to get the ball back into this hands and instead pulled on it on the volley and drove it over the bar.

Michael had a somewhat frustrating day throughout, getting virtually nothing from the man in the middle. Twice in quick succession in the first half he fielded wonderfully over his head and pivoted as only he can; on each occasion though he was man handled by the Mayo full back Ger Cafferkey yet no free was given. It’s a wonder how he keeps his head sometimes when that keeps happening but credit to him he kept persevering. His final score of the day was another beauty - again looking as if he was being fouled he was almost falling to the ground just as he struck the shot but it still sailed between the posts.

Incidentally, that man in the middle was none other than Mr Marty Duffy. I’m not keen on those GAA folk who go to games with the sole intention of berating the referee and indeed criticising officials is an easy option at times. Yet all that goes out the window when Duffy is involved - he’s useless. An awful referee, he continually slows the game down with inconsistent decisions and never has an official had such a negative impact on supporters, with the feeling mutual between both sets.

He was centre of attention as usual today, straight from the off. Not only does it create an unease amongst the crowd but the players soon get worked up over his calls. Rory Kavanagh felt the wrath of Duffy when he was shown a red card when he gave Kevin McLoughlin what was no more than a dig in the ribs; probably worthy of a red going by the letter of the law but Duffy seemed to guess the decision as he didn’t appear to have seen the incident clearly. One bystander in the stand at Fr Tierney Park commented that Duffy must have very sore arms such is the regularity with which they’re hoisted in the air to signal for a free.

The trying relationship Donegal enjoys with the Sligo whistle blower stems back to the Ulster Championship clash with Derry in 2008. The main talking point that day centred on Derry midfielder Fergal Doherty, who was allowed to stay on the field of play despite a forearm smash to the face of the afore mentioned Kavanagh. How ironic that Kavanagh’s infraction didn’t survive Marty’s card today.
Not even the goalkeepers survived, with both net minders receiving yellow cards which is surely some kind of record - Marty will be happy that his name might be in the history books for that one.

Thankfully despite a shaky start Donegal were able to go and win the game, playing the entire second half with fourteen. Neil McGee was ruled out with flu before the throw in so his brother Eamon stepped in to take his place. This meant Donegal had three corner backs in the full back line and yet Mayo didn’t really capitalise on this as much as they could have. An early high ball caught Eamon out of position and Mayo were able to work a goal but they didn’t do anywhere near enough of this and you’d have to question James Horan’s tactics in this regard.

Mayo were poor today after their early flourish and The Messiah certainly came out on top in this battle of the young gun managers. Horan could certainly have done with some of Donegal’s skill and work rate and if circumstances had conspired differently back in the day maybe they would have. Three of today’s Donegal side - Murphy, Paul Durcan and Martin Reilly all have a bit of Mayo blood in their veins from their parents but thankfully they were in the right jerseys from our point of view.

The home side didn’t need a second invitation though when they had the wind at their backs after the restart and they pummelled Mayo with high ball after high ball. Colm McFadden was the one to drop deep to midfield to create the space for Murphy and McBrearty, a clever move from The Messiah as Mayo would have been expecting the Glenswilly man to play this role. It worked a treat as the scores started to come and Murphy even won a few frees after Marty learned how to spot a foul.

The tactics employed in the second half, including that switch for McFadden, were what won the points for the hosts as they pinned Mayo into their own half of the field. The two men inside worked hard to cut out any short kick-outs allowing Neil Gallagher, who had another stormer, to clean up at midfield. Even when goalkeeper David Clarke did manage to find a defender with a short kick-out, our forwards were quick to press and Mayo were suffocated. Playing against a strong breeze and a strong green and gold wall James Horan’s men couldn’t move past the half way line - their first score of the second half came in the 35th minute.

The critics that have lambasted Donegal for playing so deep would have seen something quite new today had they been watching. Instead of a deep lying defensive line, there was a cordon of men stationed between centre field and Mayo’s 45 metre line, pinning them back in their own half.

The modern defensive game, which has taken many forms over the past decade, will eventually reach a natural evolutionary end in a manner approaching what we saw today. Instead of a deep lying defensive line, it will be much higher up the pitch - so in today’s case when Mayo lost the ball, Donegal didn’t have to travel a hundred yards up the field to the scoring zone, they were already there.

Imagine Donegal’s game plan against Dublin last year but instead of a mass of bodies on their own 45, the bodies are all in the opponents half of the field. We saw a period of play today for about fifteen minutes where Mayo continuously could not get past the half way line, there was a mass of green and gold jerseys waiting for them and they had no answer.

Certain commentators were a bit miffed that Donegal claimed two out of six all stars last year in the defensive positions because of the weight of numbers we have back; but that is a bit of a discredit to the lads because it glosses over the fact that we have some outstanding defenders. Today again they were magnificent, thus contributing to holding Mayo scoreless for almost all of the second half. At one stage late on, Alan Dillon broke through and looked like he had a goal chance but when he looked up to shoot there were six players surrounding him and many of these had just ran back from Mayo’s half of the field. It was total football today with everyone defending and everyone attacking. Allied to great fielding, good passing and fine long range scores it was by far the best performance since the Kildare game.

As we look forward now to next week and a rematch with Dublin there will no doubt be more talk than ever of ‘the system’ although whether we play in a way people expect us to is another matter. Jim said the team learnt a lot from the game in Killarney last week and his language was very telling. He mentioned that when the team faces Kerry again they will be much better prepared - when and not if. He believes his side will be in the shake up once again come late Summer and he fully expects to be meeting the likes of Kerry and Dublin in Croke Park. So there was probably a certain amount of caginess in the display last week and that may happen next week again. Donegal will most likely be safe in Division One if they beat Armagh in the final game so it gives a small bit of leeway for Croke Park. How McGuinness approaches the meeting with the All Ireland Champions will be very interesting indeed.