Dún na nGall Clear First Hurdle as Tyrone Tamed

The first hurdle has been cleared by Donegal and as was widely expected beforehand, Tyrone presented a huge challenge and pushed the home side all the way to the final whistle. The league encounter seven weeks ago left a false impression of Mickey Harte’s team – yesterday was a more accurate reflection of their qualities.

It was a big day for Rory Gallagher. His tenure as manager started well with good performances in the league and some tweaks to the system being implemented to good effect. Still though, it is all about Championship so he needed to get a win under his belt and he duly delivered.

A blistering start certainly helped with four excellent scores registered inside nine minutes. The opener came from Frank McGlynn, who was immense throughout. As well as getting on the score board himself he set up numerous others and his pass to tee up Martin McElhinney for his first point of a 1-2 tally was nothing short of audacious.

The visitors fought their way back into the game and turned a four point deficit into a two point lead. Aided and abetted by Darren McCurry’s goal, they moved up through the gears and caused the Donegal back line numerous problems with their strong direct running; Peter Harte particularly good in this regard.

While all this was going on, the crowd at MacCumhaill Park were more taken by the battle, or maybe staring match would be more descriptive, going on between Michael Murphy and Justin McMahon. Wherever Murphy went, McMahon was never more than a nose away. Every run was blocked, every jink obstructed and at one stage McMahon even gave Murphy a pat on his backside – this was up close and personal man marking like we’d never seen before. You wouldn’t have blamed Michael if he checked outside his front door in Glenswilly last night just to make sure the big man from Omagh hadn’t followed him home.

Despite the vexation amongst the Donegal support and the borderline nature of the intimidation, you have to begrudgingly admire McMahon’s concentration, discipline and doggedness to stick to his task. It is an extremely difficult thing to do on a football field, to completely ignore the ball and all that is happening around you. Michael deserves huge credit too as it would have been very easy to simply lash out in frustration but he kept his cool and bided his time before making a match winning contribution.

With the sides deadlocked entering the final act, Michael stepped up and landed the game’s final three points to seal the win. The last of this trio, an incredible 45 from the wrong side of the field for a right footed kicker, was a thing of beauty.

Even aside from his late flourish, Michael played a big part in the game’s vital score, McElhinney’s goal. Moments before, Rory gave the signal for Murphy to move into the square and such was McMahon and the rest of the Tyrone defence’s preoccupation with the Donegal captain, they left Odhran MacNiallais totally unmarked in front of goal. A great save from Tyrone debutant Mickey O’Neill followed but man of the match McElhinney was on hand to drill the loose ball to the corner of the net.

One more score was to follow before the short whistle with the evergreen Colm McFadden slotting over to secure a two-point lead. McFadden was asked to play a deeper role than usual yesterday and he did it wonderfully well. We had seen glimpses of this during the league but it was a surprise to see him undertake such a specialised duty in a big game. It worked and Rory deserves credit for making the call. It meant that Patrick McBrearty often played the lone target man and while he didn’t see as much ball as he would have liked, whenever it did come his way he made it count.

Tyrone, while putting up what Rory described as a massive performance, are obviously short a few players in order to be able to challenge for honours like they were able to a few years ago. This was highlighted with the inclusion of Cathal McShane and Ruairí Brennan from the start. Both had played starring roles in their county’s U21 All Ireland triumph at the start of the month but making the step up to senior is a different story.

McShane had featured in some of the league ties but he was thrown in at the deep end being pitted against a three-time All Star in the shape of Neil McGee and the Gaoth Dobhair man simply gobbled him up. There may have been more than a hint of relief for McShane when he saw his number come up on the board to indicate he was being withdrawn shortly after half-time.

The second half became more of an arm wrestle than the first, scores were at a premium and less risks taken by the teams. Another goal from either team would have been a huge score in that environment and Paul Durcan came up with a big save towards the end with the ball bobbling around the square in front of him. Durcan’s kick outs were solid throughout as well and it was an important day for the Four Masters net minder after his last Championship outing in September ended in such disappointment.

The bear pit that is Ulster football meant that yesterday was about winning and nothing else. It was encouraging though that the team put in an excellent display even without some lads playing to potential. Ryan McHugh and Paddy McGrath on the left side of the defence had relatively quiet games as did Martin O’Reilly and the elder McHugh, Mark, when he was introduced. 

So there’s plenty more in the team and in watching the substitutes warming up under the stand yesterday it shows the strength in the panel – Anthony Thompson was only introduced in the closing minutes while didn’t Hugh McFadden or Darach O'Connor didn’t see any action.

Donegal are in a good place right now. Rory is up and running as a Championship boss and most of his teams’ key men are in good form. Karl Lacey was outstanding, Christy Toye is aging like a fine wine while Neil Gallagher’s fetching is still one the game’s great sights.

It doesn’t get any easier with a trip to the Athletic Grounds in Armagh next up in four weeks but such is the nature of Ulster’s showpiece competition. It is as tough as it gets and it makes our recent record all the more impressive. Not since 2010 have Donegal been beaten in the Championship at Ballybofey and that day against Down was also the last time the team lost an opening round match in the province. The proud record of only losing one match in Ulster in four years will be severely tested by the Orchard men on June 14^th.

Donegal Dominate As Tyrone Forget Their Lines in Championship Dress Rehearsal

Was that the greatest and most shrewd example of shadow boxing ever or have Tyrone really suffered such a fall from grace? The Red Hands were awful yesterday and for a county which such an esteemed recent tradition it was somewhat alarming.

What, if any, effect it has on the Championship joust in seven weeks’ time remains to be seen but surely Tyrone won’t be as bad again.

The last league meeting between the teams two years ago ended up in a four-point win for Tyrone, yet Donegal turned the tables and ended up with a six point victory in the Championship opener two months later.

For Rory Gallagher it was probably the most complete performance the team have delivered under his tenure, leading and dominating from start to finish. In the opening minutes, the home side just seemed that bit sharper, more powerful in the tackle and in general more in tune with each other. The two week break was well utilised by the management team.

The new Tyrone are a more basic re-incarnation of their former selves – plenty of skilful and willing ball carriers sprinkled throughout the team, tough and talented defenders and a couple of decent forwards. It’s all at a much lower level though than what we're used to seeing from Mickey Harte’s team and his younger charges were taught some harsh lessons.

Padraig McNulty has been impressive in the league this year, particularly against Dublin in Croke Park but on numerous occasions he was stripped of possession when he tried to break Donegal tackles. It is one thing galloping up the field in training but it’s an entirely different story when hungry, vulture-like defenders have their eye on you in an inter-county match.

One of those ravenous raiders was Karl Lacey who gave a vintage display of hassling, harrying, dispossessing opponents without fouling and surging up the field to help his colleagues in attack. It is often overlooked last year that after an injury-ravaged 2013 season, Lacey was back to something approaching his best, most notably in his Championship shackling performances against Derry’s Mark Lynch and Kevin Dyas of Armagh.

Yesterday he spent time marking Mattie Donnelly, who is fast becoming Tyrone’s go-to man as Sean Cavanagh’s influence begins to wane. Cavanagh didn’t make the starting line-up in what may have possibly been another example of his side holding fire until May. The Moy legend cut a frustrated figure when he was introduced in the second half, becoming involved in separate altercations with Michael Murphy and Christy Toye and getting very little ball in open play.

Overall Tyrone’s setup was nowhere near as defensive as it had been in recent matches against Dublin and Mayo and they were quite open at times and vulnerable to the counter attack. Anyone watching football these days knows that the counter-attack is a team’s most potent weapon so for an astute mind like Harte to be caught out by it would suggest he was simply keeping his cards close to his chest.

Gallagher, conversely, now has so many options at his disposal that he can show a certain amount of his hand yet still hold an ace or two up his sleeve. A key part of Donegal’s run to the All-Ireland Final last year was the injection of youth and fresh options in the form of Ryan McHugh, Odhran MacNiallais and Darach O’Connor; this year Hugh McFadden, Martin O’Reilly and Eamonn Doherty are providing the same impetus.

Names missing from the starting line-up in Ballybofey included Paddy McGrath, Paul Durcan, Colm McFadden, Mark McHugh and Anthony Thompson – regardless of what the perception may be, Donegal currently have a very strong match day panel. McFadden did enter the fray in the second half to become his county's record appearance holder.

Last year’s young guns, McHugh and MacNiallais, appear to be relishing their more senior roles in the setup and have consistently delivered so far this year. The Gaoth Dobhair stylist gave a wonderful display of high fielding while his exemplary ball-carrying and control were of the usual high standard.

Meanwhile McHugh added another goal to his tally, following on from his major in Tralee a fortnight ago and that last gasp strike in the Cavan U-21 encounter. The underage captain is a nightmare for opposing players to face, his raw speed and comfort off either foot make him very difficult to read and he makes beating players look so easy.

The skill that the Kilcar youngster possesses is similar to that of Frank McGlynn and one score in particular yesterday showcased an important facet of Donegal’s play. With the Tyrone wall having formed across their own 45’, Donegal patiently transferred the ball from one wing to the other and back again. You often see teams doing this but with little or no clue as to where they’re going. In an instant, McGlynn moved up a gear, accelerated past one defender and broke the first line of backs. Suddenly Tyrone defenders are unsure of their role and who they should mark and within three passes McGlynn had got the ball back in front of the posts and had plenty of time to pop over a point. That transition from near walking pace to slick movement is one way to break down modern defences and another example of how Donegal are working hard preparing for the challenge of facing their own game plan.

A lot of work has also been done on tackling technique and it goes back to the point on counter attacking being perhaps the most important ploy in football today. If a side can get their tackling right and dispossess a team who have committed bodies forward it gives them the best possible chance of scoring themselves. Mayo, under manager James Horan and coach Cian O’Neill, worked tirelessly on their tackling method and Rory seems to have improved his team’s ability in the tackle this year.

In recent years, the ‘choke’ tackle has been in vogue in rugby; the fact that it slows the player in possession but doesn’t bring him to ground the key benefit to a defending team. Similarly Donegal’s tackling, indeed most teams’, attempts to slow the man with the initial impact before trying to rid him of the ball - a bit of a variation on the traditional near-hand tackle.

For example, initially a player running with the ball is being chased from behind by a defender. The runner is tackled with an arm coming from behind his right shoulder; he is slowed down slightly but crucially he also instinctively transfers the ball away from the tackler, i.e. from the right side of his body to the left - the defender’s other arm then comes around aiming a direct hit on the ball. So it’s essentially the classic one-two from boxing circles - the player with the ball braces himself for the first hit, leaving himself ever so slightly susceptible to the second.  Lacey demonstrated this wonderfully against both Derry and Monaghan in last year’s Ulster campaign but others such as MacNiallais and Martin McElhinney are now becoming more au fait with the technique.

Captain Murphy is widely regarded, much to the chagrin of many commentators, as one of the team’s best tacklers though it could be said that his black card was as a result of this technique. In essence he tackled too well, dispossessing Cavanagh with his initial hit rather than the second. As his second arm followed to wrap around the player, both went to ground Joe McQuillan deemed it worthy of an early shower. The actual wording of this particular black card offence is a ‘deliberate pull down’ so Michael could probably count himself unlucky but with a one game ban to follow and a clean slate for the summer he won’t be too bothered about missing next week’s trip to Castlebar.

St Michael's man McElhinney also received a black card and he too could feel hard done by as he could claim that his tackle wasn’t a deliberate pull down but rather a jersey pull with the attacker then going to ground. They’re small details but the rule is framed in such a way that it makes every call ambiguous; even referee chief Pat McEnaney has admitted that his men haven’t got to grips with the implementation of the pull down rule as of yet.

Black card apart, Murphy gave an outstanding display - his free taking in particular was breath-taking at times. Three of his first half efforts were from the ground and from sixty yards plus while in the second half he nailed a stunning strike from his hands – fifty yards out, against the wind, with the outside of his boot - it didn’t make any sense to see the ball sailing over the river end crossbar but over it went.

Seven weeks out from another championship battle with Tyrone, it’s difficult to gauge just where the teams are at such was the non-contest nature of yesterday’s game. You’d find it hard to believe that Harte’s troops will be as poor again and there’ll surely be a lot more in the tank on May 17^th.

Then again when this Donegal side clicks they can be unstoppable, was that what happened? It was certainly reminiscent of our better performances over the last few years.

The bumper partisan home crowd certainly enjoyed handing out a beating to a local rival; the decibel levels rising with every hit and turnover while each player being substituted was given a thunderous reception coming off the field. With the clocks going forward and that date in May etched in everyone’s mind, the appetite has certainly been whetted for high summer.

Dubs Defeat Donegal in Pulsating Encounter

It wasn’t a championship encounter last night at Headquarters but for February fare it was as good as it gets for intensity. There was plenty of quality on show too with some fine scores on either side but ultimately it was Donegal’s profligacy and indiscipline that led to a five-point defeat.

Above the steps leading up to the Cusack Stand, there’s a huge banner featuring the great and the good of the GAA and for the last few years Bernard Brogan has been the centrepiece; now though there’s a new banner for 2015 and our own Michael Murphy is the main man. It’s a reminder of Donegal’s place in Gaelic Football right now - we’re at the top table and despite almost every pundit in the land tipping a two horse race for honours this season between Kerry and Dublin, they would be unwise to write off last year’s runners-up.

Murphy lived up to his main man billing with a wonderful display of point taking, vision, awareness and selfless work ethic. Within thirty seconds of both the first half and second half starting, he split the posts – the first a beautiful effort off his less favoured left side.

The usual debate was raised during the week about where Michael should be stationed after he played around midfield for the opening half in Ballybofey; he spent the majority of last night inside at full forward but if he sees a run to be tracked or a tackle to be made he doesn’t wait for someone else to do the job, he does it himself. During the first half, Christy Toye was down injured in front of the Hill goal having taken a hefty bang; as he lay prone on the ground, he was out of position as Dublin counter attacked up the field. His captain didn’t need anyone to tell him what was needed - immediately Murphy sprinted seventy yards back to midfield to take his team mate’s place.

That’s captaincy, that’s leadership and that’s why he is the country’s best player.

The full forward versus deeper argument in itself gives Rory Gallagher a trump card in that opposition teams have to have two plans to combat Murphy. If he’s left on the edge of the square all the time, he will invariably be double teamed and while that might leave space for others, the others aren’t Michael Murphy.

When Jack McCaffrey burst through to score the match winning goal with a stunning finish, it was Michael who was beside him trying to get a tackle in; in truth that was when he should have taken a black card for the team and stopped McCaffrey in his tracks. He lasted about another five minutes before the inevitable card came; Michael had played close to the edge throughout the game and it was no surprise that he didn’t make it to the final whistle.

All over the field there were fierce battles being fought and the sheer spite and dislike the two teams have for one another was very evident. There were late hits, dirty strokes and huge physicality from both sides and referee Maurice Deegan seemed to lose control in the last quarter.

There weren’t too many changes from the joust with Derry last week; Eamonn Doherty came in from the start and had a solid enough outing while Karl Lacey was re-directed to wing forward. The imperious Four Masters man saw plenty of ball and looks to be in tip-top shape which is a huge plus and aside from a few mis-cues with the boot he performed well and was a constant thorn in Dublin’s side. Martin O’Reilly played a deeper role this week, reverting back to his more customary half forward spot; he put in another good shift and, along with midfielder Hugh McFadden, has forced his way into the manager’s thinking for when the bigger challenges come around.

Paul Durcan’s woes continued with a loose kick out leading to the opening goal for the Dubs; a clatter from Karl Lacey in then trying to prevent the goal-bound shot from Cormac Costello led to a knock on the head and Michael Boyle coming in to replace him. The Termon net-minder did well for the most part on his kick-outs; one late effort that didn’t clear the twenty-one yard line led to a throw ball, as well as a bollocking from Mark McHugh. Mark and younger brother Ryan were excellent, both constantly offered themselves as ball carriers and gave support to others; they seemed to be well fired up for the game and carried the fight to Dublin, never taking a backward step.

The kick out strategy was interesting with Donegal again, as they did last week, trying to cut out the short variety as much as possible. Dublin on the other hand refused to go long as Donegal made sure the wings were covered and hence cut off their usual wide receivers.

McFadden came on a lot from last week’s encounter and was a much greater presence around the middle third. He got through plenty of ball last week but this time around he got more involved in tackling and breaking and indeed came in for quite amount of attention from blue jerseys as they set upon some new blood. McFadden handled it well and can be delighted with his night’s work. It was the Killybegs man’s withdrawal, with his namesake Colm joining the action, that actually led to Donegal’s downfall.

After Kevin McManamon got a second yellow card, which in truth could have been a red following a forearm smash on the elder McHugh, the manager decided to go for broke somewhat. With an extra man, his deep lying midfielder was replaced by a forward in the hope that more scores would follow. In response Jim Gavin brought on fresh legs, McCaffrey amongst them, to run at the newly exposed rearguard. The goal put paid to any chance of salvaging league points from this encounter and just like the battle last August, the team that got the goals, got the win.

Up until then Dublin remained in front largely due to the free taking of Dean Rock; time and again a lazy Donegal hand went into a tackle and conceded a free and worse was the number of times the referee brought the ball forward into score able positions following too much chat from the visitors. Granted, Deegan’s decision making was frustrating both sides but at the highest level discipline is a vital component in winning games and the players should know better. The hosts went almost half an hour without scoring from play and yet were never behind – that statistic tells its own story.

Overall, Rory and his management team will be fairly satisfied with the opening fortnight of league action. What was clear from last night is that the teams do not like each other very much and that Donegal have got inside Dublin’s heads. The Dubs are still shocked that they were so roundly beaten in that last four contest and it is eating away at them. The stall they set out with last night was entirely a reaction to that game.  John Small sat in the centre back pocket and tried to block the middle channel. They crowded the middle third. They daren’t kick long from restarts. They’re spooked.

Donegal kicked numerous bad wides into the Canal End goal in the second half but when Dublin were shooting that way in the opening period they constantly snatched at chances, rushed their kicks for fear of a gold jersey closing them down. In the semi-final they needed a series of wonder points from Diarmuid Connolly and Paul Flynn to get ahead but last night they had many simpler opportunities yet were anxious and took bad decisions when they could have worked the ball into better positions.

So as we head into a short break in league action, it is tempting to peek ahead to the Summer; if these two giants cross swords again there won’t be a bookmaker on the planet who’d be offering 8/1 on a Donegal win. We know that we’re one of the main players, the bookies know it and most importantly – Dublin know it.

Dún na nGall Recalim Seat on Ulster's Throne

We got our trophy back! The Anglo Celt is back in Donegal hands for the third time in four years and with the Fr. Murray cup also crossing the border last night after the minor team’s victory it was a day of double delight for the green and gold.

Despite being somewhat used to the celebrations that go with an Ulster title win, the management and players took particular pleasure out of yesterday’s win; it seemed to mean more, even judging by Jim’s reaction at the final whistle. There’s a fierce determination within the group to right the wrongs from last year and they’ve now banished the memory of the provincial showpiece 12 months ago.

For a few of course this is their first Ulster medal – Ryan McHugh marked the occasion with a man of the match performance while Odhran MacNiallais kicked three wonderful points over the course of the game.

In the early stages of the match, the blood and thunder of last year wasn’t quite evident; there was nervy, nasty atmosphere and a somewhat claustrophobic tension which mirrored the dead heat in the Clones air. The apprehensiveness affected the players too with three of the country’s leading dead ball specialists, Conor McManus, Michael Murphy and Rory Beggan, all missing attempts at the posts in the opening minutes; indeed McManus would register his only score in stoppage time at the end of the match – and that was a long ball intended to land in and around Paul Durcan’s square.

Donegal coped better in the dour opening exchanges, notching the game’s first three points and Monaghan struggled to cope with Jim’s defensive setup. McGuinness stationed Leo McLoone in the full forward line alongside Colm McFadden and it is an example of the options that the coaching staff have developed over time. Leo’s fabulous fetch on the end line led to MacNiallais’ second point of the day and kept Donegal nudging ahead.

Despite the perception that ‘The System’ is extremely rigid, the players have to be agile and be able to undertake different roles throughout the course of a game. Murphy is the best example of this of course; he spent most of yesterday’s game as an auxiliary centre back alongside Frank McGlynn and on numerous occasions he was even covering in at full-back when Neil McGee sauntered up field. Armagh were the pioneers of this role under Joe Kernan - Tony McEntee used to slot in alongside Kieran McGeeney as Murphy did yesterday.

The purists baulk at such tactics, stunned that one of the game’s eminent attackers is asked to perform such a role yet I’m sure Michael didn’t mind one bit where he played once he was able to climb the steps of the Gerry Arthur stand to pick up the trophy for the third time.

When the team was named during the week, it was assumed that there would be changes before throw-in and Karl Lacey was sure to be one of them. He had a fine afternoon, getting the game’s opening point and also displaying his now trademark, textbook dispossession on Dermot Malone in the second half. You often see defenders - not very good ones - frantically swinging both arms at an attacker hoping to dispossess them; Karl does this but always in a measured way, aimed at the ball and it’s a fantastic skill.

Lacey’s half back counterpart, Anthony Thompson, had a somewhat unusual game – time and again his handling let him down and he, like quite a few of the players, looked nervous. Yet the Glenties man just always seems to make a big contribution and he certainly did that again.

Neil Gallagher was another change to the fifteen named and the Glenswilly man had an outstanding game. Such are his injury problems that he rarely gets seventy minutes in a Donegal jersey these days but he lasted the pace yesterday and that in itself is a huge positive as we move into the All-Ireland series.

There’s an intense, somewhat bitter rivalry building between these teams lately and that always simmered close to the surface yesterday. There were quite a few flashpoints in the game and it was a surprise that both teams managed to keep their full complement of players on the field. The McGee brothers both picked up cautions in the first half but did well to keep their discipline thereafter, crucial in such a tense, turgid battle.

The battles were taking place in the stands too with quite a few slagging matches breaking out amongst the two sets of supporters. Stephen Gollogly didn’t help matters as he put in a high tackle on McHugh, this of course the same player who ended Mark McHugh’s Ulster final participation last year. Monaghan were intent on drawing Donegal into a physical battle and they hit hard and sometimes late. Yet the discipline shown by the men from the Hills was commendable – in the first few minutes Gollogly swung Murphy around by the neck but there was no reaction whatsoever from the Maestro, he just took his free and got on with it.

Donegal had a two-point lead at the break and continued to look in control in the third quarter, stretching the difference out to four. Monaghan’s goal could have been a major turning point as it left just the minimum between them - the next score was going to be crucial. McGuinness’ men got it and added two more and that was the winning of the game.

Patrick McBrearty was to the fore in this period and maybe the decision not to start him was a smart call from Jim in that it reminded the Kilcar youngster that his displays had to improve. Injury curtailed his involvement during the league but in almost every game he came off the bench to good effect and got his name on the score sheet, just like he did yesterday.

It was the captain who had the final say, Murphy nailing a monster 70 yard free to sink Monaghan hearts. It was reminiscent of the free he scored against Ardara in last year’s county semi final to get his club to the final – big moments, big man.

A handling error from Frank McGlynn led to the goal but that aside he was immense throughout. He was the source for many of his side’s attacks and swept up in front of the McGee brothers. Earlier in that move for the goal, McFadden handled poorly to give possession back to the Farney men; Colm’s poor form continued yesterday, having been brilliantly marshalled by Drew Wylie, and his lack of confidence is a worry as we head for Croke Park. He’s working as hard as ever but it just isn’t happening for him at present. That can happen sometimes and you feel that a goal or a big point from play could turn his season around. He still notched 0-4 from frees though and for that alone he’s a vital cog.

Neither Colm nor Michael scored from play yet the team still registered 0-15; maybe Donegal aren’t as reliant on these two as everyone makes out. For a defensive side who supposedly neglect the attacking element of the game, it was a decent score to post and indeed there were some very poor wides and missed chances to go along with that.

So all this means that its back to Jones Road in a few weeks’ time for a quarter final against either Armagh or Meath. The Orchard had our number for quite a few years so a rematch would be something to look forward to.

Looking forward to the semi-final is what the rest of the country are doing though – the unbeatable juggernaut that is Dublin will be there and many believe Donegal are the only team that can stop them. A Dublin street trader even found his way to the market town yesterday, selling headbands for a euro, maybe on a spying mission for August.

Certainly right now, the team is not as fluid or assured as it was this time two years ago. However Jim has broken a seventy minute football match into so many little parts and has a specific plan for each as regards positioning of players, personnel changes from the bench and game plans that you wouldn’t back against him in any contest.

There probably wasn’t a need to go as defensive yesterday as Jim did but maybe this was with an eye on future opponents and honing that watertight system that will be undoubtedly pushed to its limit by the Dubs should the two sides meet.

That’s for another day though; for now it’s a quarter final to think about and a chance to bask in the glory of another Ulster title. Maith sibh lads.

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.

One Step From Heaven

Just one more obstacle remains for the Messiah’s men on September 23rd and after yesterday’s fantastic display you couldn’t bet against this Donegal team clearing it.

Despite the excellent form of the team in this year’s championship, when they have done absolutely everything asked of them and more, they still came into this game as underdogs. That didn’t bother the team one bit and indeed the potential favourites tag in the final wont either.

Almost every media preview in the lead up to the game sided with the Munster champions and so the team had to once again remind everyone just how good they are.

It was helter skelter stuff to begin with, scores coming at both ends and a good pace to the game. Both sides moved the ball well and the accuracy from the teams ensured a high scoring opening period.

Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden were both targeted with long ball early on and while there wasn’t a high number of scores coming off this ploy, it only has to work once for the net to bulge. While that didn’t happen the support runners coming through were able to pick off points with the likes of Karl Lacey and David Walsh profiting.

Lacey was again magnificent and even showed his singing skills by giving us a quick blast of Jimmy’s Winning Matches during his on-field interview after the game. What was noticeable in that interview was how remarkably fresh Lacey looked; after playing the type of running game he does it would be more natural for someone to be struggling to stand. Yet he trotted of the pitch after that interview the same way he trotted on at the start of the match and it gives us another insight into the fitness levels attained by this panel of players.

Mark McHugh had a quiet opening to the game but once he started to get on the ball he dictated the game as only he can. So much of the pre-match build up had focused on what Cork would try to do to nullify him but for the last 50 minutes of the game he swept and carried as he has done all year and no-one could get near him.

As has happened in every outing this year the effort and energy expended by the opposition in trying to attack Donegal early on meant that when the blue touch paper was lit in the second half there was only one winner. The key ingredient in the winning of all Donegal’s matches this year has been the period after half time when the team raises their intensity and pummel their opponents with devastating raids and a relentless scoring rate.

Cork’s players and their manager admitted afterwards that they lost the tactical battle but in truth Jim is always a step ahead of his rivals in that regard. Cork’s trump card centred on starting wing forward Ciaran Sheehan instead of corner back Ray Carey resulting in them playing with five defenders and seven attackers, although Fintan Goold dropped back to the half back line at times. It worked to a point in that Sheehan himself did well and got on the score sheet but overall their shape and setup didn’t bother Donegal.

In much the same way that Donegal play, it doesn’t matter who attacks or who defends so long as someone does; it didn’t matter that Cork had an extra attacker because he was simply another man that had to be stopped, had to be tackled and had to be dispossessed regardless of the number on his back or what position he plays.

Neil Gallagher gave an exhibition in old-fashioned midfield play, making several clean catches and outplaying the much vaunted ‘big men’ of Cork. Throughout the week, the physicality and size of the Cork side was viewed by many as a key advantage that would lead them to victory yet Big Neil set the tone in the middle of the field and was deservedly given the man of the match award. Alan Quirke was eventually forced to look for short kickouts such was the dominance of the Glenswilly man.

The high fielding midfielder is one facet of the game that pundits lament about not seeing very often in these days of modern football but there was plenty of it illustrated yesterday.
Another of the modern ills is of course the hand pass and Donegal are the prime target from the purists in this regard. At one stage in the first half yesterday the RTE website commentary displayed a statistic showing that Cork had hand passed the ball 100 times compared to Donegal’s 30; by the end of the game Cork out-hand passed us by 250 to 170.

Almost all teams play in a similar way nowadays, the difference is that Jim McGuinness has taken the style that brought Tyrone three All-Ireland titles and almost perfected it - how perfect it is can only be judged in four weeks time.

Now the chance is there for his team to claim their title and he immediately got the player’s heads focused by saying that the next four weeks will be the most enjoyable of their lives. Jim is always thinking of what’s coming next and even in the aftermath and the euphoria of the win he was getting down to business.

For the supporters, before the ticket scramble begins in earnest, it’ll be satisfying being able to sit back and enjoy this Sunday’s second semi final waiting to see who’s next up to try and stop the Donegal juggernaut.





After the terrific day we had yesterday it was all put in perspective with the tragic news about Termon GAA player Andrew Duffy, who lost his life after falling into the Grand Canal in Phibsboro after attending the game at Croker. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.