Donegal have endured quite a few tough road trips in the Allianz League of late so it was perhaps no surprise to see an animated reaction following a narrow one-point win over Roscommon yesterday.
By Chris McNulty, Donegal Sport Hub
Eoin McHugh’s point, right at the death, secured a 0-16 to 2-9 win at Dr Hyde Park, for what was only a fourth away win in 22 games for Donegal.
Donegal’s away form since 2008 has been dismal.
From then until this weekend, there had been only three wins on the road.
There was Eamon McGee’s stunning last-gasp goal to sink Mayo in Castlebar in 2008 and a low-key afternoon in 2009 when John Joe Doherty’s Donegal defeated and relegated Westmeath in Mullingar.
Last spring, there was a 3-15 to 0-7 hammering of Down in Newry.
Yesterday, though, Donegal bagged a victory that was crucial if they are to survive in the top flight this year.
“The never-say-die attitude was pleasing,” Donegal manager Rory Gallagher enthused.
“When you are a manager or a coach you look for your team to give absolutely everything. I thought our boys did that in the first half and the second half, and after a number of setbacks they still ground it out.
“It was an important win. We have a young team now and we don’t have any targets for the League.
“The important thing is to improve and learn. Winning is great for the confidence of the young boys, but we have to be very honest and look at ourselves and look at the wrongs and the naivety.”
Conor Devaney netted a brilliant late goal to pull Roscommon level, while Ciaran Murtagh had pounced on a defensive mistake to goal in the opening half as the Rossies led 1-7 to 0-7 at half-time.
Gallagher said: “We had to win the game a couple of times. We showed a lot of naivety but we have an experienced core of players who are streetwise.
“We just didn’t deliver the result and performance last week, but we had a better performance this week.
“In a game that I felt we were by far the better team in, it was disappointing that it was only a one-point game.
“When they stuck the ball in the back of the net and with the home crowd going for them, it was a difficult place to be, but we showed great character.”
Although the Tir Chonaill defence appeared more open than Gallagher would like at times yesterday, he’ll have been pleased to get eight different men on the scoresheet, with Martin O’Reilly showing well and posting three points.
The guard has changed now, for sure, with only three players from the 2012 All-Ireland final – Frank McGlynn, Michael Murphy and Paddy McGrath (Neil McGee and Patrick McBrearty had been substituted) – on the field at the final whistle.
Gallagher described Murphy as a ‘colossus’ yesterday and, with the skipper calling the tune, he hopes his men will keep building towards the summer.
They have Dublin next in Ballybofey in two weeks’ time.
Yesterday began with Dr Hyde Park being blessed by the local Priest as Roscommon marked their return to the venue and it ended with Gallagher giving his own blessing to a new breed in his dressing room.
The Donegal manager said: “It’s a great place to be, Division 1, it’s a great learning curve for our boys. We’re just looking to improve every week and every day.
“It’s like getting caps under their name and by the end of the League some of them will have played for Donegal six or seven times. That will leave us in better stead for the Championship, but there’s no point in playing and not learning – and that’s the challenge we have as a coaching staff.”
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