Challenge now for Donegal is to back up that brilliant performance against Derry

I HAVEN’T enjoyed a game like last Saturday’s Ulster quarter-final at Celtic Park, in a long time.

The lads decided to treat me for my 40th birthday so a few of us headed to Derry. I’d be reserved enough at games but as the third goal went in I was roaring and high-fiving all around me. It was a long way from the Down defeat in the Ulster Championship last year. Afterwards, we ended up in the company of a few Magherafelt men where the subjects ranged from Mickey Harte to the price of sheep dogs.

Hard to beat these days. I was really surprised at the way that, outside the first five to 10 minutes, Derry struggled with the numbers Donegal had back. Fast forward to around the 30 minute mark and as the Derry players nearly started to panic, Mickey Harte and Gavin Devlin panicked too and threw on two subs. Holding Gareth McKinless as a sub gave us an insight into how Derry viewed Donegal. Derry hadn’t prepared for that change up to Championship pace and how Donegal would defend.

They were thinking, ‘It will happen,’ and they took their eye off the ball.

Some of their shot selection and the execution was a sign of how lost they seemed.

Derry looked to Conor Glass and Shane McGuigan and found no answer. Harte and Devlin looked shell shocked.

The positive thing for Derry is they’ll still have a say in the All-Ireland series and they’ll be back.

I still think they’ll go further than Donegal.

Massive

For Donegal, it was a massive result.

Ryan McHugh had a massive game. One of the more satisfying aspects walking afterwards was that Ryan is a main player again.

Jason McGee and Niall O’Donnell are two players I said from the outset would benefit under McGuinness.

The challenge now is to back it up.

Build enough momentum and a head of steam to get themselves into an AllIreland semi-final or final.

They have a good base from which to attack the summer.

On the Odhran Lynch debate, people need to stop conflating the idea of a sweeper keeper and a keeper coming out to mark a zone. Two different things.

I get why they bring

Lynch out to mark in a zone and why they’ll probably continue to do it but with a contingency plan in place.

It’s on the radar of so many players now.

The zonal press for me will always be here.

It’s the best way to mark a kick-out. Keepers look up, see bodies in all areas of the pitch, so by right he can’t kick out to a player moving into space.

A good zonal press can give you defensive cover that a man-to-man press can’t with opposite sides of the ‘zones’ getting back defensive side if an opposition long kick-out is lost.

Derry will tweak it now. However, I think they’ll having Lynch go out there for some kick-outs.

The obvious call on Saturday was after the first two goals, we pull the pin on this.

It should have 100 per cent come from Harte and Devlin but they were shell shocked

Then it should have been Glass, Chrissy McKaigue or even Lynch himself.

I get the hesitancy to make calls against the game plan but it was a minor tweak.

I wouldn’t have had the balls to make those in-game decisions until much later in my career.

But again, it’s a growth thing and the Derry lads will know the next time a situation like that appears.

For Tyrone tomorrow, I’m really nervous, despite Brian Dooher talking about Donegal putting in one of the great performances.

He must think we came down on the last shower.

The fact that Donegal performance came eight days earlier against Derry means Dooher will be delighted and rubbing his hands with glee.

Tyrone won’t be caught out like Derry were.

People talk about going to extra-time against Cavan being a disadvantage for Tyrone but I don’t think it’s as big a factor as it’s being built up as.

From my count, Tyrone went through nine players that got their Ulster Championship debuts.

That’s a massive number, which carries its own problems but playing extra-time isn’t one of them.

The bodies will be well recovered and ready to rock.

The fact they came through that rough patch against Cavan will give young heads great confidence.

If they can get the likes of Mattie Donnelly and Peter Harte — if he’s back from injury to use that energy and confidence, you can nearly sell the extra-time as something positive for the development of that group.

Press

I think they’ll drop off Patton’s kick-outs to a degree but not totally, as they like to get a high press on from play.

So, they’ll let the corner backs get the ball and then look to engage.

Again, Brendan McCole will have a massive task with Darragh Canavan because he seems to be the go to guy when Tyrone are struggling.

It’ll also be interesting to see who picks up Darren McCurry because I don’t see Mark Curran as a like for like.

McCurry has the potential to be massive for them.

As I said, I’m nervous about Tyrone.

By right the drive and intensity Donegal showed last Saturday should be more than enough for a Tyrone team, which blew from hot to really, really cold during the League.

They’re so hard to make sense of but the possibility of big Tyrone players coming back and them young lads getting a lift out of the Cavan game with that result means it’s a dangerous tie.

I think Tyrone could sneak it.