Donegal ladies manager Micheál Naughton had nothing but praise for his side after a gut-wrenching loss in today’s Lidl Ladies National League Division 1 final.
It was Donegal’s first ever appearance in a Division 1 final and Naughton has cause for real optimism ahead of the Championship.
“They’re a brilliant bunch of girls and they play their heart out,” Naughton said.
“A bad decision cost us the game, but we missed five chances in a row and on another day they’d have gone over and we could have beaten Cork.
“These girls put in an awful lot of work and no-one will be more disappointed than them. Football can be a cruel game at times.
“No-one gave us a chance, but we believed in ourselves and kept playing for ourselves. One thing we asked was that they left everything on the pitch and they did that. It was a massive game of football.”
Cork are vastly experienced at this level and this was their ninth Division 1 title in ten seasons.
Orla Finn fired Cork ahead with a goal on 19 seconds, but Geraldine McLaughlin’s goal had Donegal back in it, only for Eimear Scally’s goal to give Cork the edge at the break.
Naughton said: “We prepare for every situation. The girls stick to the plan and believe in themselves. We came back well. At the end of the day, Cork take home the cup and we’re massively disappointed.”
Niamh Hegarty netted Donegal’s second goal and the Moville woman pulled the strings as the Tir Chonaill side – backed by a big traveling support – stayed in touch.
Naughton said: “Niamh Hegarty does that all year long. She has a huge engine in her.”
Donegal now prepare to face Armagh on June 10th in an Ulster SFC semi-final.
Naughton said: “We will dust down and we’ll turn our focus to the Championship.
“If you want to compete at this level you need a bench and we have a strong bench now. “Hopefully we will get a long run in the summer.
“We take a lot of pride in the Donegal jersey and the Donegal crest and the girls put in a huge amount of work.”
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