Donegal’s defence of the McKenna Cup trophy they’ve won for the past two years came to an end tonight with a damp squib of a game at MacCumhaill Park. Jim McGuinness brought six U21 players into his senior squad after getting permission form the Ulster Council on account of his panel being stretched to breaking point; he was unsure during the week if would even be able to field a fifteen. He threw all six of these players straight into the action, choosing to leave the likes of Neil McGee, Karl Lacey and Barry Dunnion on the bench. Of the starting fifteen only Kevin Cassidy and Frank McGlynn could be considered regulars and the first half showed a team lacking shape with no particular direction in their play. The more established names did make their way onto the field throughout the game but in the end the home side were never going to catch an energetic and exuberant Fermanagh team who were well worth their five point victory.
The Erne county are also under new management this year with John O'Neill taking the reins. Judging by this performance he has got the time playing with their usual enthusiasm and has unearthed some new talent. Paul Ward at full forward in particularly good notching some nice scores.
There were also some positives for Donegal in spite of the defeat, with Eamon Doherty putting in a confident display at full-back despite the performance of Ward. The No 3 jersey has generally been a problem position over the years, with McGee the only contender since Glenties’ Paddy Campbell retired. Doherty though played well throughout, reading the game well at times and showing strength when needed to win possession. Another plus on the night was the performance of Jamie Doherty on the 40; the youngster scored two fine points on a night when composure in front of the posts was lacking for the green and gold. It was a historicx nijght for his club as he became the first player from Letterkenny Gaels to represent the county at senior level.
A four-point win or better for Donegal would have given them a semi-final rematch with Tyrone but in truth the management won’t be too worried about missing out. That semi-final would have taken place on February 12th, resulting in seven matches on successive weekends. It would also have meant a re-match with the O’Neill county, a week before the sides will meet in the league under lights in Omagh.
Instead they will begin the league campaign next week back in Ballybofey, with Sligo making the short trip to kick off Division Two.
The forward cavalry are certain to return then with Michael Murphy, Dermot Molloy and Colm McFadden battling it out for spots in the forwards. With four of the seven league matches away from home getting points on the board quickly will be imperative and a greatly improved performance can be expected in seven days time. It will be interesting to see how much experimentation Jim will employ in the league campaign. In recent years, certainly during John Joe Doherty’s tenure, the league was used to blood plenty new players but come championship time the majority of these were back on the bench. This time around the manager is expected to stick with the new arrivals right the way through to that May 15th date with Antrim.
That’s three months away yet though and theres seven (who knows maybe more!) games to be played over the course of the Division Two campaign before then. Ar aghaidh linn....
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