Dún na nGall Seal Swift Return to Division One

Job done for Donegal today in the Athletic Grounds – it wasn’t pretty at times but the bottom line is that they’re back in Division One next year and will also have a re-match with Monaghan to look forward to in three weeks’ time in the divisional final.

As per the McKenna Cup encounter between the teams in January, Charlie Vernon was given the onerous task of keeping tabs on Michael Murphy; Vernon was switched onto the totemic forward in place of Gary McCooey a few minutes into today's contest, in a bid to curb Murphy's influence after Donegal had stormed out of the blocks.

Murphy’s club-mate Neil Gallagher started today, a huge boost for the team as they look to bigger days ahead. He lasted about 50 minutes before being taken off as Jim McGuinness tries to gradually integrate him back into the side. If McGuinness can coax the same amount of time out of the big man in Celtic Park next month, he’ll be relatively happy. Gallagher is crucial to Donegal’s attempts to win primary possession and today he won several kick-outs, both clean and breaking ball for his team-mates. Paul Durcan’s restarts have been both bad and brilliant throughout the league but with Gallagher in the middle things seem so much easier. Mark McHugh was the man to make way before throw-in, the Kilcar man troubled with a hamstring problem, so Donegal in effect had a three-man midfield with Gallagher joined by Rory Kavanagh and Martin McElhinney.

Karl Lacey and Frank McGlynn immediately switched at the start of the game and Lacey had his best game of the campaign to date, looking like the rampaging half-back of old – hopefully he has timed his return to form to perfection with big games on the horizon. McGlynn also looked impressive today and his placement in the game with Derry will tell us a lot about Jim’s thinking. Centre forward Mark Lynch has been the standout performer for the Oakleaf men thus far and it is quite likely that Frank will be the one detailed to pick him up. With Leo McLoone more suited to playing a marauding centre back role as opposed to being given marking duties, McGlynn v Lynch seems the obvious match-up.

The visitors were in total control in the opening exchanges today, a penalty from Murphy putting them five points clear. Armagh eventually got motoring while Donegal seemed to stall somewhat, allowing the Orchard County back into the game. Jamie Clarke goaled after a piercing run through the middle and he followed up with an outrageous point from the wing – from this stage of the game until half-time the match descended into shutdown. Both teams were suddenly bereft of ideas and neither team could muster any sort of incision once they got inside the opponents 45. The awkward cross-field breeze didn’t help with wayward shooting a feature of both teams' play.

Aside from his five-minute cameo, Clarke was well marshalled by Neil McGee. The double all-star has been one of his team’s most consistent performers so far this year and no forward in the country would relish pitting their wits against him. McGee’s Gaoth Dobhair colleague Odhran MacNiallais did well again today but more from a defensive point of view as opposed to the promising attacking displays we’ve seen from him this year. Playing as a wing-forward, MacNiallais is learning game by game what is required of an inter-county player in that position; time and again today he was back helping his defenders, sweeping up ball and instigating attacks. His time spent at centre field with his club no doubt a huge aid in this sense.

Thankfully the fare improved after the break and it was Donegal who started to move through the gears. Just as the teams lined up for the second half, some Armagh followers in the stand were commenting on Murphy’s physique, cheekily inferring that ‘he must be on the juice’; whatever juice he is on is certainly doing the trick because soon after he got the game’s pivotal score, a trademark blistering finish to the net after fielding a high ball in from Kavanagh. The captain seemed to get away with a nudge in the back on his marker Vernon although the lack of protest from the Armagh Harps man suggested he was beaten in any case. While Murphy came out on top in their personal dual, it was a great battle between him and Vernon throughout.

From then on Donegal always had Armagh at arm’s length, picking off scores on the break whenever they were needed. The ferocious intensity and hunger that has been this team’s calling card was in evidence in the closing stages as time and again possession was ripped from on-rushing Armagh attackers and swarms of Donegal players raced forward en masse. The only negative was a black card incorrectly shown to substitute David Walsh; without doubt the Naomh Bríd clubman committed a foul but not one of the famous (maybe even infamous) five categories that are deemed as black card offences - a yellow card would have the right colour card.

Anthony Thompson was excellent in this closing period, as indeed he was for the entire game; the Naomh Conaill workhorse endured a torrid 2013 where he was never able to shake off niggling injuries and didn’t look 100% fit at any stage. This year though he’s been a constant in the team and in such flying form is a huge player for the side.

Patrick McBrearty was introduced for the final furlong and he picked off two delightful points to show that he is bang in form as he prepares to lead his county into the provincial U21 decider back here at the Athletic Grounds on Wednesday night.

For Armagh its relegation to Division Three and a far cry from the early part of the century when they were our nemesis for so long – five years in a row they beat Donegal in the Championship but next year they’ll be plying their trade in football’s third tier. They have to now lift themselves for an Ulster joust with Cavan, the team replacing them in Division Two.

McGuinness’ men now move onto Croke Park for a final with Monaghan where they will try, just as the hurlers did today in Sligo, to cap a good league campaign with some silverware.

Dun na nGall Raid the Orchard

A first McKenna Cup win against inter county opposition for Jim McGuinness today at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh and with it Donegal have given themselves a chance of semi-final spot. That’s largely irrelevant as regards the actual competition but an extra game or two would do his charges no harm at all.

There are still plenty of cobwebs to blow off before the National League commences and for large parts of this game Armagh had control and looked to be well on their way to victory. The introduction of Neil Gallagher in the second half proved decisive; prior to that the home side were dominating the exchanges around the middle but the Glenswilly man’s presence swung the pendulum the way of the green and gold.

Donegal had the better of the first quarter and were two points to the good despite playing into a swirling wind that made shooting very difficult. It seemed to take Armagh a while to realise how best to use the wind to their advantage but once they did they had their best spell of the game, registering four unanswered points; many of them efforts from distance carried over by the breeze.

The Orchard men were intent on not letting Donegal dictate the pace of the game. Paul Grimley encouraged his team to take all restarts as quickly as they good – in one case net-minder Philip McEvoy had taken a short kick out taken before the umpire had barely got his hands on his flag to signal a point for Michael Murphy.

Murphy was marked today by Charlie Vernon, a vastly experienced player but more noted for his midfield endeavours. Michael was brought out to centre forward early in the game and it would have been interesting to see how Vernon would have coped on the edge of the square as a relative rookie in the full-back spot. Instead he saw more of the ball in following Murphy out the field and this probably suited him and his teammates.

While Vernon and Armagh saw plenty possession in the first half they were rather ponderous with the ball and didn’t appear to have a definitive way to break down the Donegal defensive screen – only when they began to use the wind to good effect did the scoreboard begin to tick in their direction.

Buncrana youngster Darach O’Connor again made the starting fifteen and opened his Donegal account as well with the game’s first score. Even in the wet and heavy conditions his pace and power was evident but it will be on a drier sod and with a quicker tempo that he’ll really come into his own. Just as he did against Tyrone last week, he began to cramp up towards the end of today’s proceedings and its just goes to show the massive step up there is from minor to senior – O’Connor was replaced by fellow newcomer Stephen McLaughlin for the last few minutes.

Pace is the key differentiator in the modern game and because O’Connor possesses that he has every chance of making it at the top level. Other speed merchants such as today’s centurion Frank McGlynn, Karl Lacey and Leon Thompson (who was introduced at the break) can find it hard to discover their best form at this time of year but when Summer comes they eat up the yards.

The kick-out strategy on display last week wasn’t used as much today; the movement around the middle third was still taking place but things were much more crowded in that sector than they were in O'Donnell Park. Michael Boyle was between the sticks and he incurred the wrath of the home support on numerous occasions when taking his restarts. On placing the ball he’d pause to wait for a signal or a run from one of his midfielders or half forwards as to where the kick should go; this took up to a few seconds each time and the crowd were getting restless but again its all part of the work that is going on with the kick outs at training.

Armagh were much smarter with the ball after the short whistle; knowing that scoring from distance wasn’t an option against the wind they instead executed short kick passes to their inside forwards who took on their men at every opportunity and were rewarded with a couple of easy scores early in the second half; Robbie Tasker and Niall McConville were both particularly impressive with ball in hand.

It was here that Donegal really missed Paddy McGrath. While Eamon McGee, Frank McGlynn and today Declan Walsh all have experience of playing corner-back, McGrath is the only specialist in this position in the panel. The Ardara man has resumed training following his groin surgery and the sooner we see him back the better.

Of course Karl Lacey has two All-Stars as a corner back but those days seem to behind him; today he was stationed at wing back and it was encouraging to see him in action after so many different injury problems over the past year.

Armagh held their lead for most of the second half but when Colm McFadden netted after a goal mouth scramble the visitors sensed an opportunity. It was Murphy and Odhran MacNiallais who stood up to be counted in the closing stretch; the Gaoth Dobhair man produced a massive last ten minutes to get his side over the line. First he cleanly fetched a McEvoy kick-out and immediately off-loaded to his captain who split the posts from 40 yards.

Murphy then scored a wonderful free soon after to put his team one point to the good – the effort was from the ground on the far touchline on the 21-yard line and it sailed over the black spot. MacNiallais would have the final word as he registered Donegal’s final two points to cap an excellent individual performance and put the seal on a two point win for McGuinness’men.

While it was good to get the win, the positives were in the chances given to players such as Thompson, Gallagher and David Walsh, the Naomh Brid clubman making a real difference when introduced; they all need game time as they work their way back from injuries or in Thompson’s case, get used to the rigours of inter county football again. MacNiallais and O’Connor got another game under their belts while we will likely see more from Malin’s McLaughlin in the coming weeks.

The final Section A fixtures take place this coming Wednesday and Donegal are well positioned for a crack at the last four.  It might well be a night for the calculators with score difference likely to be the deciding factor; as it stands now Donegal could conceivably finish anywhere from 1^st to 4th in the group.