Hyde Hopes for Donegal With Two Precious Points Secured

An important two points were secured by Donegal yesterday in a frantic match; just how much importance is attached to their worth will be known in the weeks to come. Certainly had the team been nought from four ahead of facing the All-Ireland Champions, signs would not have been good.

This was a strange game containing as many mistakes as moments of brilliance, exceptional scores allied to shocking finishes.

There was much talk about the new pitch at Hyde Park, relaid after infamously being deemed unplayable last year before Roscommon’s match versus Dublin. It looked the part before throw-in but wasn’t necessarily conducive for good football as almost every player on the field seemed to lose their footing at one stage or another. A fairly sparse covering of grass made the sod quite bare and players on both sides were never sure of their footing.

Following a summer of growth it will no doubt be a fantastic surface and the costs that have gone into it will reap dividends. Those costs have may have forced the County Board to tighten the belt elsewhere – thirsty Donegal folk in the clubhouse before the match were served cans of beer seven months past their sell-by date.

No matter, they were still consumed and anything was welcome in order to steel ourselves for the bitterly cold conditions that awaited once seats were taken in the stand. Rory Gallagher has brought manys a thing to Donegal – expert coaching, management ability both in the football and retail sectors but perhaps his greatest gift is the advent of the bobble hat. You rarely go to any match now, club or county, without a sea of yellow bobbles swaying in the breeze and they were almost as precious yesterday as the two points gained.

Roscommon elected to play with the substantial wind at their backs in the first half but Donegal seemed to adapt better to the elements and were quickly into their stride.

Ciaran Thompson looked a class apart in all aspects of his play and he was on the scoresheet early with an incredible effort into the teeth of the wind – the first of three points he’d kick over the course of the seventy minutes.

Michael Murphy meanwhile looked at his powerful best, driving from deep at will with the home side having very little in the way of answers as to how to stop him. His display was all the more remarkable given that he may have picked up a knock early in the game – the first score of the day was a Murphy free off the ground from distance but for every subsequent effort he opted to go short, a sign that all was not right with the big man? Thankfully for Donegal, all not right usually still results in a top class performance from the captain.

When Roscommon did settle they showed how adept they were in breaching the Donegal defensive barrier by jinking, weaving and sidestepping their way through, coping well in tight spaces.

The game soon developed into an end to end struggle though with so many turnovers at both ends of the field; it was an energy sapping affair.

Some intelligent work was witnessed from both teams carrying the ball forward but a slip, a misplaced pass or a lone foray without support led to a counter attack and so this continued up and down the field for long spells. Neither side seemed capable of holding the ball but it was definitely the visitors who were inferior in this sense.

Donegal, for many years, have produced fast, small players with low centres of gravity. They’re difficult to mark, hard to get near to stop and the direct running they bring to the table has long been a feature of our play.

At times yesterday though, players were dispossessed too easily and the scoring chances that were given up as a result made the match closer than it may have needed to be.

When this aspect of play works though, Donegal look incredibly dangerous.

Martin O’Reilly, so far Donegal’s form player, epitomises this. Another three points racked up, his finishing was excellent, his runs piercing and with so many newcomers in the side he has really stepped up to become one of the team’s go-to men.

It is not too long ago that the Mac Cumhaills clubman was a bit hesitant in possession, reluctant to take on his chances – just like those coming into the team this year. Its natural to play in a safety-first mode but the sooner these lads take on responsibility the greater the pace at which their inter-county careers will progress.

Jamie Brennan missed a gilt-edged goal chance in the second half but moments later he nailed a difficult shot off his left to split the posts, showing great character in the process. That’s what they need to do, forget about the misses and keep looking for the ball, keep wanting to be main men.

With O’Reilly and Eoin McHugh decked out in lime green boots, it’s sometimes tricky to tell them apart as they glide over the turf and eat up ground, leaving defenders trailing in their wake.

McHugh was the man to take the onus on at the end to kick the winning point and in doing so he also brought his tally to 0-3. All told, the trio in the half-forward line contributed a hattrick of points each. McHugh could have potentially had even more as he was stripped of the ball quite a few times and things didn’t seem to be going his way which makes his closing winner all the more admirable.

It was goals rather than points that kept the Rossies in the contest, raising two green flags and in truth they could have had a few more. One effort flashed past the post in the closing stages while at the death, on the cusp of winning the game, Ronan Stack inexplicably went for goal instead of taking his point with Mark Anthony McGinley smartly smothering his effort.

McGinley had another shaky afternoon from the kicking tee but when called upon to defend his goal he’s up to the task.

Even with the goal chances, the rearguard had a more serene look to it in the second half, thanks mainly to the introduction of Frank McGlynn. The Glenfin man looked out of sorts last week and was possibly not even due to see any action, only doing so because of Neil McGee’s illness on the morning of the game. McGlynn though was back to his usual self when introduced at half-time, bringing his renowned calmness and serenity to the Donegal back-line.

Donegal conceded just 1-2 in the second half and in the end it was enough to hold out for a win.

In the grand scheme of things, victory against Roscommon would have been anticipated. Not many will give Rory’s charges a chance next time out against the all-conquering Dubs, particularly if Paddy McBrearty is ruled out after coming off injured yesterday. The fixture in a fortnight is effectively a free hit; give it a lash and see what happens. It might be closer than expected.

Impressive Roscommon Derail Donegal

A second defeat in a week for Donegal but there wont be too many alarm bells ringing. Rather than disappointment or worry, the main vibe in the air after yesterday’s game was respect and admiration for an excellent performance from an emerging Roscommon team.

They started as they meant to go on, running powerfully at the hosts and giving an exhibition in point taking from distance.

Donegal had no answer early on. The home side looked lethargic and off the pace which was in complete contrast to the opposition.

Coming into the game on a three game winning run, the men jointly managed by Fergal O’Donnell and Kevin McStay, brought verve and a buccaneering spirit to their play.

The direct style of running caused numerous problems for Donegal, with players penalised time and again by referee Padraig Hughes. Perhaps after last week’s messing in Tralee, the man in the middle was intent on having an incident-free afternoon and there was barely a tackle of note from either side at O’Donnell Park.

The free-taking from Ciaran Murtagh and Fintan Cregg along with the accuracy of others from play saw them surge clear in the opening half and the spread of scorers they had was an important facet of their victory. They generally tried to attack down the centre before popping off passes to either side; it didn’t seem to matter which player was on the end of these moves as point and after point landed over Peter Boyle’s crossbar.

In similar situations, Donegal usually try to find the likes of Michael Murphy, Paddy McBrearty or Odhran MacNiallais to get shots away and it is a great credit to O’Donnell and McStay that they are coaching such potency in their ranks. Some of their long range scores were outstanding.

Roscommon also managed, on several occasions, to get inside the area between the Donegal 21 and 45 metre lines – very few teams have managed to get in there with such regularity during one match. The cordon of players acting as doormen along the 45 were unusually generous to guests in the absence of head bouncer, Hugh McFadden, a late withdrawal before throw in. The Kilybegs man was sorely missed around that crucial area of the field he usually patrols, where he offers such security and assuredness.

Rory Gallagher was quick to make changes on the line in an effort to stem the tide. He took off both Anthony Thompson and Eamon McGee, two stalwarts of the famed Donegal defence. While they were being treated to somewhat of a roasting by their direct opponents, it was more likely a case of isolated poor displays from each rather than any seminal watershed moment signalling their respective declines.

Rory instructed his players to push up on the Roscommon kick out from the off but Donegal struggled in this aspect and often there was a man in blue free to receive possession from goalkeeper Geoffrey Claffey.

At the other end, net minder Boyle utilised the short kick-out much more than in previous games, particularly in the first quarter but with a sluggish defence in front of him, Donegal rarely made much headway. Roscommon were quick to get to grips with the short option and a long kick-out lottery ensued.

One major positive did emerge despite defeat and that was the return of the evergreen Karl Lacey. Getting more game time than was probably planned due to Eamonn Doherty’s blood injury and McGee’s early withdrawal, Lacey looked as if he had never been away. Playing his first game for Donegal since the Mayo defeat in August, he showed that while the boots may have changed from white to orange, the class still remains.

Mark McHugh also made his seasonal bow and to have two All Stars back in the fray gives even more depth to an already competitive panel.

Lacey and McHugh helped shore up the defence to a certain extent following their introductions but with Roscommon happy to sit back in the second period and play on the counter, they did pick off some easy scores.

Donegal made a valiant effort at a comeback, with Murphy dragging what he could from himself and his team-mates, almost inspiring an amazing comeback. The Glenswilly giant upped his game straight from the second half throw up, literally, as he grabbed onto two Roscommon men allowing Rory Kavanagh to take a clean catch.

There was a moment of worry shortly after as Michael went to ground clutching his leg and his participation seemed in doubt. Thankfully it turned out to be a likely dead leg and two fabulous points soon after confirmed he was still up for the fight.

As has happened in most league games thus far, Murph spent most of his time at midfield. His brace of scores illustrated the benefit of this as he was able to time his run coming from halfway, claim possession with a bit of steam built up and stroke the ball over between the posts.

When he moved closer to goal towards the end of the game, he was wrestled and manhandled to the ground, which in fairness to the defenders in question is just about all you can do. The resulting free at the end did allow the large crowd in attendance to see as clean and as powerful a strike as they ever will; Murphy managed to beat the seven players on the goal-line but unfortunately not the crossbar.

Donegal needed a goal to arrive much earlier and when they got to within two points there seemed a real chance of a win. Almost immediately however, that prospect evaporated with the needless double yellow offences from MacNiallais and a breakaway Roscommon goal putting an end to the contest.

It was a difficult afternoon for Gallagher and his backroom team on the sideline. So many decisions were right but also had a robbing Peter to pay Paul feel to them.

Paddy McBrearty came out to half forward in the second half to add his elusiveness and skill to the effort of breaking down the visiting defence. That though did mean that his movement and ball-winning ability was sacrificed inside and almost all of Donegal’s scores were sourced from deep rather than from any penetrating ball delivered to the full forward line.

With Michael posted at midfield, Neil Gallagher was used as a target man in the forward line when his fetching ability was also needed for the aerial battle that Donegal were forced to engage in around the middle third.

There’s certainly plenty to ponder for the management team but as Jim used to say, every day is a school day. There will be plenty of lessons learnt after two the recent losses with two stern examinations to follow. 

Dublin and Monaghan provide the opposition in the remaining fixtures with the results destined to determine the final result - either mid-table respectability or a semi-final berth.