Point Gained for Dún na nGall after Joust with Royals

A second half revival inspired by Christy Toye earned Donegal a hard fought point in Ballybofey today and keeps the team out in front in the promotion race. After three relatively straight forward victories thus far, Jim McGuinness’ men were given a real test today and his side will be much the better for it heading into the final trio of games.

Meath manager Mick O’Dowd and his sidekick Trevor Giles deserve huge credit for the way they took the game to Donegal; the duo had clearly done their homework in the lead up to the game and the packed house at MacCumhaill Park were treated to a fascinating tactical battle. They looked at the well known aspects of the McGuinness system and figured how they could use it to their own benefit - the role of Mark McHugh is crucial to how Donegal play and immediately from the throw in Meath set about exploiting the space he vacates while on sweeper duties.

After some positional re-alignment, O’Dowd stationed Andrew Tormey as their free man, i.e. the man who McHugh would pick up in an orthodox line-up, and he saw plenty of ball in the opening quarter playing between half-back and midfield. Tormey was free for kickouts, picked up several breaks off his midfielders, Shane O’Rourke and Bryan Menton, and registered 0-2 in the first quarter. Cork tried a similar tactic in the All-Ireland semi-final of 2012 in an attempt to stifle McHugh’s influence when they played with five defenders and seven forwards - like today it worked for the early part of the game but on that occasion as we all know, once Donegal found their feet they had the measure of the Rebels; it wasn't quite as straight forward this afternoon.

On account of Meath effectively having an extra body at midfield, Paul Durcan struggled to find his players from his restarts and O'Dowd's men quickly ran up a healthy lead. When Durcan lined up his kick-outs in the first half what he saw was a mass of bodies directly in front him with Meath having pushed up on Donegal’s defence. This left a large section of space between the 45s and it was Meath who dominated here through their sheer size around the middle third - it wasn’t until Neil Gallagher was introduced that Donegal looked comfortable in that sector.

Meath have struggled over the past few weeks in the league but what we saw today wasn’t anything new - they demolished Dublin’s lauded kick-out strategy in last year’s Leinster Final and if they had had the legs on the day they could have claimed the trophy. Back then it was Stephen Cluxton who found the going tough in finding his men, today it was Durcan. In their dominant spell at the start of the game they stretched their lead out to 0-6 to 0-1 at one stage but Donegal didn’t panic and slowly reined the Royals back in.

One vital trait that Jim has instilled in his players during his tenure is belief and in a situation like they found themselves in today, it was clear that the players didn’t panic and instead they managed to think their way through the first half.

To get back into the game the onus was on the defenders to attack from deep; Durcan began to find his full and half back lines for short kick-outs and with possession won it was about carrying the ball through the Royal rearguard. Both McHughs did this with great diligence and effort and soon the chances came. Leo McLoone and Anthony Thompson relentlessly motored forward from their defensive posts while Neil McGee made a burst up from full back only to see his scoring effort drift wide of the posts. Frank McGlynn was next up and while the Glenfin star didn’t hit the crispest shot he’s ever let fly off his left boot, it deceived the giant Meath goalkeeper Paddy O’Rourke enough to nestle in the corner of the net – game on.

Meath responded with their own green flag in what was becoming an absorbing contest but Donegal kept their foot on the throttle and by half time had cut the lead down to a manageable two points.

It was after the break that Toye came storming into the game. At times it seemed like a one man fight back effort from the Creeslough native – he made numerous dispossessions, won turnovers, drove through the Meath defence and capped off his performance with a couple of points to boot. With the amount of turnovers Toye and his team-mates forced there really should have been more than the one Donegal goal to show on the scoreboard.

Donegal lost some of their urgency when Ryan McHugh went off after being shown a black card – it was the correct decision by referee Padraig Hughes although a first half body-check on the elder McHugh, Mark, should have also been punished with a black card but was let go – new rules, same inconsistency.

Mark had a fine afternoon overall and it was interesting to see that while Meath’s free man, Tormey, had emptied the tank and was taken off with ten minutes to go, the energy reserves of Donegal’s equivalent were still in credit and he was able to keep going right until the end.

McGuinness gave Darach O’Connor a real confidence boost by throwing him into the fray in the closing stages today and the Buncrana teenager showed great maturity when he went for the equalising score in the dying minutes. In no more than a yard of space he could have easily tried to recycle the ball and wait to give a team mate an opportunity but instead he took the responsibility on himself and was unlucky to see his shot come back off the post. At that stage it looked as if it was Meath’s day but there was to be one last chance and Michael Murphy struck a fantastic free from close to the sideline to gain a point for his charges. Despite it being ‘only’ a league game there was a fair bit of pressure on the free given the anticipation from the crowd and its proximity to the sideline made the kick even tougher; there was no doubt though in Michael’s mind where the ball was going - he trusted his technique and caught it beautifully to send it sailing through the posts.

The real negative from the game was Donegal’s inability to win primary ball from their restarts. We’ve seen already through the course of the McKenna Cup and the League that they’ve done quite a bit of work on this aspect of their play over the winter but there’s still plenty to do. Of course it’s nowhere near as big of a problem when Neil Gallagher is on the field. The Glenswilly man and another substitute David Walsh made huge impacts off the bench today and the sooner these lads, Gallagher in particular, are fit enough to last seventy minutes the better.

Had the hosts been a bit more clinical in the closing stretch they could have probably come away with full points but the bit of a scare will do them no harm. Teams generally like to have things to work on and facets of their game to improve upon – Donegal had been so untroubled in the opening matches it seemed that everything was going perfectly so a bit of a reality check at this stage can be seen as a positive. That is how Jim will be looking at it and after last week’s result in Croke Park and todays in Killarney, Jim Gavin and Mickey Harte will be thinking the exact same. Definitely a point gained today for Donegal and looking ahead to the summer, it could be worth a lot more.

Donegal Young Guns Shoot Down Monaghan

Its three from three for Donegal in the league and with Jim McGuinness’ men leading the standings, the young leaders on the field of play are making a big impression. Odhran MacNiallais and Ryan McHugh were the stars of the show today as the home team got some measure of revenge against Monaghan for the Ulster Final reverse in Clones last July.

MacNiallais got the capacity crowd to their feet early on with a blistering goal; his presence of mind and spatial awareness created the chance and he finished with aplomb. Receiving the ball forty yards from goal, the boisterous Letterkenny support were encouraging him to shoot for a point but he saw space in behind the Monaghan rearguard and once he got past the first tackler with a devastating change of pace, he drove straight for the whites of Rory Beggan’s eyes in goal. The Gaoth Dobhair man added to his tally soon after with a point off that trusty left peg and added a further two scores in the second half to put the seal on a wonderful individual display. He also managed a sublime assist with a cushioned volleyed pass to set substitute Declan Walsh up for the game’s last point. The more we see of MacNiallais, the more he looks like a starter for the big one in Celtic Park on May 25^th.

Ryan McHugh picked up from where he left off in Salthill three weeks ago, producing another excellent performance both in defence and attack. He made the incisive burst to set Dermot Molloy away in the lead up to the second goal, eventually finished to the net by Colm McFadden. McHugh looked a little out of place during last year’s championship due to his diminutive frame but he’s obviously put in the hard work in the gym since and is well able for the cut and thrust of top level football.

Of course the old guard are still making a huge contribution and today was a big test of Jim’s defensive alignment as regards the positioning of Karl Lacey. A centre back for the most part in the McGuinness era, it looks as if he will spend most of his time in the last line of defence this year. Having been assigned marking duties on one of the country's leading attackers, Conor McManus, today was a good test to see how Lacey is faring back in his former No 2 jersey. While McManus was out in front quite a bit in the first half he rarely got past the Four Masters man and as the game wore on the battle pendulum swung towards Lacey. He produced a brilliant saving block on the goal-line towards the end of the match and thus earned his side a second successive clean sheet.

With McManus engaged in his battle with Lacey, attention turned to Monaghan’s newest sharp shooter, Jack McCarron. A nephew of the famous Ray, McCarron has a had a fine season to date and while not as prolific today he did show some glimpses of his talent, the highlight an exquisite point from the wing, kicking across the ball with his favoured left foot and gliding it over Paul Durcan’s crossbar.

Around the middle, the powerhouse displays of Martin McElhinney and Rory Kavanagh gave Donegal an excellent platform in the first half and despite leading by six points at half time there was a sense that it should have been even more. Kieran Hughes, the man who tormented the green and gold defence from full forward in last year’s provincial decider, came more into the game in the second half at midfield. It took until the last ten minutes for the hosts to shake off the stubborn Monaghan resistance; Paddy McBrearty’s brace after coming off the bench ensuring there’d be no comeback mounted from the Farney men.

Referee Barry Cassidy did his bit in keeping Monaghan in the game with some questionable decisions while he also awarded a yellow card instead of a black to Colin Walshe, after he deliberately dragged down MacNiallais. The Donegal players in general were unhappy with Cassidy, particularly when a high challenge on McHugh went unpunished, with Michael Murphy receiving a yellow for his protestations. Murphy was a bit out of sorts today with both he and Frank McGlynn guilty of some poor distribution.

With six points on the board, Donegal are well on their way to promotion and to a league final appearance at Headquarters. Two more wins out their four remaining games should seal the deal but Jim will want to get those victories recorded as quickly as possible so as to allow him to continue re-integrating the likes of McBrearty, Neil Gallagher and the soon to be returning Paddy McGrath and David Walsh into match action and get them up to speed.

A stuttering Meath side are the next visitors to the North West with Mac Cumhaill Park playing to host to that clash on Sunday next.

Donegal Dismiss Troubled Tribesmen

For the second week in succession Donegal steamrolled inferior opposition and they already look far too good for Division Two football. While the swagger present in Portlaoise last week wasn’t quite as obvious today, Jim McGuinness’ men were proficient in how they went about their business and bagged another pair of league points in the process.

Even before the ball was thrown in, the gulf in class and gap in professionalism of both teams was evident. The Donegal players arrived out on the field at Pearse Stadium forty minutes before throw-in to undergo their warm up routine - and they all looked the part decked out in their newly acquired O’Neills gear. Their drills had already been set up, cones laid out and the players went about their work before retreating to the dressing room for final words from their mentors. Galway on the other hand, only took the field twenty minutes before the start of the game and their preparation lacked the efficiency and organisation of their counterparts.A few handling errors by his men in the drills had McGuinness barking orders and demanding more of his troops. At the other end the hosts looked liked they had come for a training session.

When the action got underway, Donegal adapted to the conditions better and implemented their running game whilst playing against the strong breeze blowing in from the Promenade in Salthill. Galway, despite having the stiff wind at their backs, were reluctant to shoot from distance and they made hard work of the scores that came their way.

Once Colm McFadden goaled after a quarter of an hour, following a wonderful sweeping move that started in the opposite corner of the field, it gave his team a cushion that was never going to be threatened. Donegal’s play was patient, smart and precise – they were quite happy to take numerous passes before the correct run was made and then they attacked the central channel of the home defence.

Having only passed a pitch inspection this morning, the recent wet weather left the sod extremely soft today and both teams will be feeling it in their legs tonight. The state of the pitch made it particularly difficult for the forwards – several times decent passes were played in front of them but with little or no bounce off the soft turf many of these were spilt and ended up in the hands of defenders.

They stuck at it though and the starting full-forward line of McFadden, Michael Murphy and Dermot Molloy posted 1-10 of the 1-16 Donegal total. Add in Patrick McBrearty’s three fine points from play after his introduction from the bench and there is real quality in Donegal’s forward play right now. They’re all playing with confidence, evidenced by McFadden’s audacious effort to lob the Galway netminder Manus Breathnach after he left his goal unguarded in coming out to intercept a pass destined for Captain Murphy.

There’s plenty of confidence amongst the supporters at present too, with a huge Donegal faithful in attendance today and indeed at times it seemed as if we outnumbered the locals.

While Donegal got a lot of joy from attacking centrally, there was no such luck for Galway going in the opposite direction as they met Leo McLoone putting in a masterclass at centre-back. He was as solid as a rock for the seventy minutes, breaking up plenty of opposition attacks and getting forward when the chance arose as well. Pound for pound he’s one of the squad’s leading ball players and appears to have made the number six jersey his own with Karl Lacey being used in the full-back line of late. Lacey was initially given marking duties on James Kavanagh, the former Kildare star who transferred to the maroon and white this year. Kavanagh though dropped deep and played much of the game at midfield, a strange call by the management given his prowess in front of the posts.

Donegal’s other corner back, Ryan McHugh, had a good day at the office and is certainly stating his case for inclusion come the summer. His burst of pace and economy while in possession make him a solid option for numerous positions on the field and showed he can score too, firing over early in the second period.

Another who impressed was Martin McElhinney, who played at midfield partnering Rory Kavanagh in the middle in the first half and then the returning Neil Gallagher in the second. McElhinney’s strong, direct running has always been a big part of his game but his primary ball winning ability is improving with every outing and his all-round game today was excellent.

With the likes of McElhinney,the aforementioned McHugh and half forward Odhrán MacNiallais all revelling in their starting roles, the league is already proving very useful for the team as regards improving the strength of the squad. That will be tested in three weeks time when Donegal face into what will most likely be the toughest game in the division as Ulster Champions Monaghan come to O’Donnell Park. There will certainly be a bit of spice in that one after the events in Clones last July and at this rate it might well be a dress rehearsal for a league decider in Croke Park come April.

While Donegal’s start has been nothing but impressive, the visit of the Farney men will tell us a lot about how the team is shaping up and will be a more accurate barometer of what awaits over the course of the year.

Laois no Match for Ruthless Donegal

An emphatic Donegal put Laois to the sword this afternoon and in the process made it very clear that they intend to keep their stay in Division Two to one season. Despite the hosts looking clueless at times and unwilling to work as hard as their opponents, this was still a mightily impressive display from Jim McGuinness’ charges.

Particular pleasing was how they kept their foot on the throttle long after the result and the two league points had been secured. The game was effectively over just after the restart, thanks to Colm McFadden’s goal, but he and his team mates posted 0-13 in the remainder of the match.

The hosts started reasonably well and indeed may have come into this encounter thinking that there was a chance of an upset given that they frustrated Donegal for long periods the last time the sides met, in Carrick-on-Shannon last July. That was under previous manager Justin McNulty and while his spell wouldn’t be termed a success amongst the Laois faithful, he did make his team hard to beat. 

Now Tomas O’Flaharta has taken the reins with a stated mandate to bring positive football back to the O’Moore County - he has his work cut out going on today’s evidence. His team disappointed both from attacking and defensive perspectives; on numerous occasions in the opening period, Donegal created overlaps and were presented with four-on-three and five-on-three situations as the home defence looked a mess.

Odhran MacNiallais’ goal came from one such opportunity with Anthony Thompson making the incisive run from defence and after neat passing the Gaoth Dobhair man was on hand to palm the ball to the net. Even at that stage, the writing was on the wall for Laois.

Thompson was joined in many a raid forward by Neil McGee and Karl Lacey - both were operating in the full back line but bombed forward at will. Laois’ inability to cover the piercing runs from deep proved to be their downfall. It may be an unglamorous brief for a forward to track attacking forays from their markers but in the modern game it’s a must. With the runs not covered it led to some easy scoring chances for Donegal - almost all of their first half scores were from simple chances inside the 21-yard line.

The exceptions came from the right boot of Michael Murphy; firstly he nailed a 45' into the teeth of the wind and moments later he stroked over an absolutely majestic point. With Murphy having to stoop to collect an ever so slightly under hit pass, Frank McGlynn made a run off the shoulder for his captain - it seemed easier to offload to the marauding wing-back but instead Michael dummied to handpass and with his marker, along with everyone else in O’Moore Park, buying the dummy he split the posts from forty yards. He repeated the dummy trick late in the game to nonchalantly register his second score from play (and sixth in total), this time off his left peg.

Christy Toye came into the starting line-up before the throw-in in place of the hamstrung Darach O’Connor and he had a fine game operating at centre forward. He’s still as good as any at picking a pass and he distributed wonderfully throughout his time on the field, which was cut short after suffering a nasty gash to his face.

Another who has had his share of injury trouble is Mark McHugh but he looked back to his best today, covering the ground like only he can. He was in the thick of things at both ends of the field and got his name on the score sheet in the closing procession. He also shipped a ferocious hit after a frontal charge in the incident that led to Laois’ Denis Booth being shown a red card. Despite the lead being enjoyed by Donegal at the time, his team-mates were incensed at the challenge and weren’t slow in making their feelings known to Booth and his counterparts.

The younger McHugh, Ryan, played at corner back and acquitted himself well and it is an area that the team could do with some competition for places. Paddy McGrath is still a number of weeks away from seeing some action so its likely we'll see some more experimenting in the 2 and 4 jerseys in the next few games.

Debutant Hughie McFadden certainly put his hand up for some more game-time, scoring a brace of points after joining the action in the second half. McFadden was one of the stars of last year’s county championship, playing an integral role in Kilybegs’ march to the final. He can operate around midfield or on the edge of the square so it will be interesting to see how he develops in a senior jersey over the coming months.

Having two away fixtures to start with, Donegal knew a win or two from those would put them in pole position for promotion. They made a big statement today and the other teams won’t relish taking on the McGuinness juggernaut when its in this kind of form. Galway are next up in Salthill next weekend and after their defeat to Meath today they wont be looking forward to seeing another team in green and gold.

Dún na nGall Kings Defeat Students From Queens

Another win recorded for Donegal tonight in Ballybofey against Queens University and whatever about the epitaphs of this year’s McKenna Cup as regards qualification and the blooding of players, Jim McGuinness can look back on a tournament where he’s trebled his win rate. He again picked a strong side for this encounter with the Belfast students; the Neils, McGee and Gallagher, in from the start after seeing second half action in Armagh on Sunday.

Being stationed in Dublin and not being able to make the game tonight meant relying on Highland Radio and Twitter for updates – and they were coming thick and fast on a night where Donegal were on the front foot from the word go. The team knew a big score was essential if they were to have any chance of a semi-final spot and Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden didn’t waste time in getting scores on the board.

Donegal ran incessantly at the Queens defence and drew plenty of frees in the process. It can be taken for granted at times but it is such a huge advantage the team possesses in having two of the games deadliest free-takers; and better again having one on either side of the field.

The hosts registered 1-7 in the first half including another thunderbolt of a goal from Murphy, this time from even further out than his effort against Tyrone in O’Donnell Park. The students managed to net two goals in the opening period and that is something that won’t please McGuinness or indeed Damian Diver, who was brought on board this year for his expertise in defence. Moments into the second half Ryan Rafferty bagged his third goal of the night for the visitors.

The auld radio and twitter updates are particular useful on nights like this when scores in other games have a direct effect on your own team; it became fairly clear early on that Monaghan were going to have things much their own way against Fermanagh and in turn pip Donegal to the best runner-up spot - Tyrone, Derry and Cavan all qualified safely as group winners.

Jim again used his bench at half time with Rory Kavanagh, David Walsh and the returning Christy Toye entering the fray; Christy hadn’t pulled on a Donegal jersey since that wonderful day sixteen months ago in the All-Ireland Final. He also endured a long spell away from the action from 2009 to 2011 with an Achilles problem so unfortunately the St Michael’s man is no stranger to long injury lay-offs; hopefully he’ll get a good run at training over the next few months as he always does a job for his side and is a key member of the squad.

Murphy got things going again for his team after the resumption, this time a point off his ‘weaker’ left foot - that is if there is anything weak in his repertoire. This of course was Michael’s first McKenna Cup campaign for Donegal in a number of years having previously been tied to playing with his college, DCU. He looks as sharp as ever and if he can keep this form and fitness up it should be another big year for the maestro.

Stephen McLaughlin saw some more action tonight after making a brief cameo at the Atheltic Grounds at the weekend and he got his name on the score sheet with a point midway through the second period. That just leaves Kilybegs’ Hugh McFadden as the last of newcomers to the panel who has yet to see some action so expect him to be given a run at some stage in league.

The black card was much talked about prior to the McKenna Cup but it didn’t have as big an impact as many had anticipated; it did rear its head more conspicuously in tonight’s game though with three of the students receiving their marching orders and having to be replaced.

Donegal made a good fist of things in the second half as regards racking up a high score, finishing with 3-17; with Monaghan though posting 2-20 in Brewster Park and having a superior points difference coming into tonight, they were always in the driving seat and they go on to meet Cavan this weekend; Tyrone and Derry make up the semi-final quartet.

The one worry on the night was a knock picked up by Rory Kavanagh; we don’t have the strongest of panels but this is especially true around midfield – Kavanagh and Gallagher fully fit are a must for Donegal so that will certainly be a headache for the management team if it turns out to be anything more than just a knock.

So pre-season is done with and next up its National League and O’Moore Park in Portlaoise is the first port of call for green and gold supporters. In theory at least the players should hit the ground running in the league and be well in contention having got some game time into the legs in the last ten days. While undoubtedly Division One is a higher standard, once you go beneath the top three or four teams the rest are on a par with those in the second tier so there’s no such thing as easy games.

Winning the league is a realistic target for McGuinness but it will be anything but straight forward. It worked well in 2011, when we last played in Division Two, losing just one game out of eight and getting better and better as the Championship went on after that. There’ll be no such luxuries available this year – Derry in Celtic Park in our Ulster Championship opener will be a huge challenge and the team must be firing on all cylinders for that.

That tough fixture makes the league even more important; despite getting relegated with the draw against eventual All-Ireland winners Dublin in the last game last season, McGuinness’ men played well that day and it set them up for the battle against Tyrone a few weeks later; and no doubt Jim will be hoping that an appearance on league final day in Croke Park in April could set the boys up nicely for Derry. 

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.

Dún na nGall Suffer 2nd Half Harte-Attack

Five long months have passed since humiliation in Croke Park but the New Year brings new hope to all counties and today, players and supporters alike were glad to be back in action. The result didn’t go to plan but they generally don’t for Donegal at this time of year so nothing much to worry about there.

We’ve become used to battles with the Red Hand over the past few years and again the game’s two eminent minds patrolled the sidelines at O’Donnell Park. It was Mickey Harte who won the battle of wits as his charges reacted to and bettered the home side’s tactics and were deserving winners. Jim McGuinness will be more concerned with the wars of Summer rather than battles in January.

Donegal started brightly in what was a good contest throughout considering the poor underfoot conditions and the fact that McKenna Cup fare can be sloppy at the best of times.

What was clear straight away was the amount of time Donegal have spent on the training field concocting ways to win primary possession from their own kickouts. Key to Dublin’s All-Ireland win last September was the ability of Stephen Cluxton to find his men on his restarts and it was particularly evident in the final against Mayo. While Durcan isn’t in the same league as Dublin captain Cluxton, his low trajectory missiles are a hugely important part of Donegal’s artillery, especially when Neil Gallagher is unavailable.

Donegal’s plan today was based on their two midfielders, Rory Kavanagh and Odhran MacNiallais, along with the two wing forwards, Gary McFadden and Marty Reilly, bunching at centrefield before a pair broke to either side; if their runs weren’t followed Durcan was expected to find his player. If the run was covered then Michael Murphy, stationed at centre forward when Durcan had the ball on his tee, would make a late run into the space vacated by the quartet and he picked up plenty possession in the first half from this tactic.

It was working well but once Harte got talking to his charges at the break the possession dried up. This is the manager after all who deciphered Armagh’s 2002 All-Ireland winning kick-out strategy, thus helping his own troops to the Holy Grail the following year. Harte instructed his middle four to follow their runners while the ever impressive Tyrone full back Conor Clarke was well out in front of Murphy for kick-outs, allowing him to block the Glenswilly man’s runs where possible.

In truth, Tyrone today looked as they always do - comfortable in possession, eager to work and, when chances came their way, clinical. Harte has the unique ability to fit new, upcoming players seamlessly into his setup and this was conveyed today by the last of the McGuigan brother's to make their inter-county bow, Shay.

For the time Donegal were on top in the first half, they took some excellent scores and the attacks from deep we’ve become accustomed to in the McGuinness era were working well. Eamon McGee, playing at full back, got a wonderful score after gathering possession on his own 21yard line before galloping up field and finishing a move that involved Reilly, Colm McFadden and Dermot Molloy.

The hosts’ dominance wasn’t showing on the scoreboard and their cause wasn’t helped by Murphy’s penalty miss – this after failing to convert a penalty against the same side in Omagh last year. Credit must go to Niall Morgan who produced a fantastic save down low to his right.

Michael soon made amends though; after a delicious pick-up on the run, he bore down on goal and fired a bullet into the same corner that his penalty attempt had targeted – there was no stopping this one.

The captain repeated his pick-up trick early in the second half as he hoisted a fine point over the black spot while under pressure from his marker Clarke. Murphy though was the only Donegal player to register in the second half (0-2) and the game soon got away from the men sporting their new green and (predominantly) gold jerseys.

Leo McLoone brought his good form from the recent challenge games into today’s match in his centre back role. This was the role Jim had initially planned for Leo back in 2011 and he was excelling in the role at the time, most notably against today’s opposition in a league game in Healy Park that year, but a nasty ankle fracture put paid to those plans. Plan B back then wasn’t too bad though, a certain Mr Lacey becoming Footballer of the Year in the No 6 jersey a year later. Whether McLoone stays there remains to be seen but it’s quite likely he will for the league, with Lacey being moved to wing back or possibly fulfilling a wing forward berth when he regains fitness.

Bar the kickouts and Leo’s positioning, Jim didn’t provide much more new material in today’s game. The team have not gone down the Dublin/Mayo route of engaging the opposition higher up the pitch at their 45m line; instead Donegal stay on their own ‘45’ and try to dispossess and counter attack from there.

Every All-Ireland winning team is mimicked by all the other teams the following year - we saw that ourselves last year - but aside from putting more emphasis on primary possession from kick-outs McGuinness wont be taking too much from the Dublin blueprint.

For all the talk of black cards over the Winter we only saw one shown today and that was to Eunan’s man, Kavanagh. Seeing a game in action illustrates the ‘deliberate’ ingredient in the new rules – only when a referee is certain that one of the black card category fouls has been committed deliberately can he brandish his notebook. So it may not have that big an effect on inter-county games, aside from the few controversial calls that will inevitably be made. It will be the club players the length and breadth of the country that will really feel the full force of the new rules.

Kavanagh’s midfield partner MacNiallais can be happy with his day’s work and the Gaoth Dobhair youngster will be looking to nail down a starting place for the league somewhere amongst the middle eight. His dainty left foot compliments his wonderful vision and on today’s showing he is a good option for McGuinness as a deep lying playmaker. His club form in the past shows too that he’s well able to get on the scoreboard which makes him an even greater asset should he be needed further forward.

So all in all it was the proverbial game of two halves for Donegal - promising and encouraging in the first but outfought and out thought in the second. That’s what these games are all about though, finding out what is working, what isn’t and how to remedy those facets of play.

Next stop Athletic Grounds this day week.