McGuinness hails Donegal debutants: They’ve a lot to learn, but they're fearless!

Having urged them all just to go and do what they do, Jim McGuinness said his new faces can all be satisfied with their first outings for Donegal seniors.

The Donegal manager watched on at Cargin as his team overcame Antrim 1-15 to 0-7 in trying conditions to book a place in the last four of the Dr McKenna Cup.

Ultan Doherty, Kieran Gallagher, Max Campbell and Shea Malone from Naomh Conaill, Paul O'Hare of Naomh Columba and Four Masters duo Turlough Carr and Conor McCahill all started, with another Donegal Town native, Kevin Muldoon, Cormac Gallagher from Termon and St Eunan’s Eoin McGeehin all appearing in the second half.

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“We would be happy with it there,” McGuinness said afterwards. “There were seven debutants there and another couple off the bench. It was just for them to get that first start for Donegal.

“It’s a big moment for anybody and it's a long time coming from when they started playing football out the back of the house, so we're delighted for them, and everybody did well, so that's probably the big positive.

“Young players bring freshness. They're fearless. Well, they’ve a lot to learn, but they're fearless! And with a number of them there, there's a good bit of S&C (strength and conditioning) that needs to be done over the next year or two of them.

“But they are good players and they are all playing senior football. They're thinking their way through championship games for their club, so whenever they settled today, they were able to do that.

“That's really positive and the lesson is if you can find one or two at all that can add a bit of value and develop the rest of them for the next season, that's what you're looking to achieve.”

"In the first half they snatched at a couple and we spoke to them beforehand and told them you don't have to prove anything to anybody, just play the way that you normally play and relax into the game and I think they did that better in the second half. At the same time, loads and loads of positives all over the pitch. You could see them grow into the game.It gives us another game now to rotate and see another couple of players."