Donegal still have room for improvement and that’s exciting - Shaun Patton 

Shaun Patton says Donegal will look to up the ante once more in 2026 as they return to action on Sunday against Derry in the Dr McKenna Cup. 

Jim McGuinness’ men will face the Oak Leafers in their opening game of what will be the 100th anniversary of the competition, taking place at O’Donnell Park on January 4 at 1.30pm.

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They will have a bye in the second game, with Derry facing Antrim at Celtic Park on Wednesday, January 7, before Donegal travel to Cargin to face Mark Doran’s side on Sunday, January 11, at 1.30pm.

The opening match will be a repeat of the final from the last instalment of the competition, when the Oak Leaf County won by a score of 0-12 to 0-6.

Luke Barrett was part of the Donegal backroom team that year, but he has since linked up with Derry, managed by Ciarán Meenagh.

Patton says Donegal will aim to raise the bar after an exciting 2025 that saw them retain their Ulster SFC but come up short in the All-Ireland final against Kerry. 

“We’re just back at it. And it’s nice to get back into the swing of things,” said Donegal’s custodian, who is likely to be rested for those opening games as he recovers from a recent ankle procedure.  

“It was almost a perfect season. After a while, at some stage, you look past the disappointment of losing the final and look at the positives. 

“An All-Ireland final is a huge occasion and to not get over the line it’s not that easy to park. You probably don’t ever get over it you just learn to deal with it and use it to get better”. 

Jim McGuinness will no doubt have a really close look at those on the fringes to see can he unearth the next Ciaran Moore or Finnbarr Roarty. 

And Patton says he’ll be paying close attention to all of that to see how is putting up their hands. 

He added: “Everyone will be out to impress and that will make it competitive and enjoyable at the same time. 

“I think there definitely is scope to improve but that will be the same for all teams. Last year was new to everybody. 

“It was always likely to be whoever could crack the new rules best was going to be All-Ireland champions. 

“So all that moves on again this season, teams will be more familiar with the rules and, at the same time, look to push on and see how they can make improvements on how they interpret them”. 

Section C fixtures are as follows: 

Round 1

Sunday, January 4

Donegal vs Derry, 1.30pm, O’Donnell Park

Round 2

Wednesday, January 7

Derry vs Antrim, 7.30pm, Owenbeg

Sunday, January 11

Round 3

Antrim vs Donegal, 1.30pm, Cargin