Foot won’t be coming off the pedal in Armagh insists Eoghan Bán Gallagher

Eoghan Bán Gallagher says the Athletic Grounds on Sunday is no time or place to suddenly drop gears. 

Gallagher and his Donegal teammates are football’s in-form outfit right now as they top Division 1 of the NFL with three wins from three. 

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They‘ve hit that so-called sweet spot of six points, and that often means pulling back on the reins where Jim McGuinness’ teams are concerned. 

There has been sound logic to that slackening off in the past, like just a week’s respite last season between the league final date and a preliminary round Ulster SFC opener with Derry. 

But the 2026 top-tier final doesn’t come with the same kind of health warning. A month separates a potential final date this time out, March 29, and their provincial opener with Down on April 26. 

So it will be interesting to see if Donegal continue to accelerate through the remaining four rounds. 

Killybegs native Gallagher made his first start of the new campaign in last Sunday’s impressive win over Mayo in Letterkenny. 

And as Donegal continue to unload the treatment table, Gallagher hopes competition for spots, as well as aiming to collect further league points, helps maintain the current momentum. 

“It’s great to be back in the thick of it,” he said. “I had a really good pre-season, and when the body feels right, it just means you’re really looking forward to games. 

“And Mayo was another tough game, tough conditions and to get out the other side and onto six points, that’s a huge thing for us. 

“But attention quickly shifts now. After the break, the pace picks up again and it’s onto Armagh away. That’s always a huge fixture. 

“They are an Ulster rival and it’s as hard a place to go as you can get. Armagh will be gunning for points but we want to continue to kick on as well. 

“We’re in a healthy position. Everyone in there is fighting for a spot. Jim is giving everyone their opportunity. And it’s really competitive. 

“Donegal and Armagh can often take on a life of its own so it’s going to be another great game, I feel. 

“It’s a compact ground, a great venue and it’s another one we’ll really look forward to”. 

McGuinness’ stance on what Donegal want to get out of the league hasn’t budged after last weekend with the main aim still to bulk options ahead of championship. 

Gallagher says it was an exciting winter as some of the county’s most exciting prospects were drafted up and into the senior ranks. 

“You’ll often hear that ‘so and so is going well in training’ and people probably don’t pay too much attention to that. 

“But I always love looking on at that, the new fellas finding their feet and settling in. We’ve all been in that same spot.

“Your ambition, as a young fella, is to wear a senior Donegal jersey and that is happening for a good few of them right now. 

“As a player, regardless of your age or experience, the most important thing is to get minutes on the pitch. 

“It’s what we’re all chasing. I suppose what six points buys us now is the chance to make sure the younger lads in the door get to experience a little bit more of that. 

“Conor McCahill came in against Mayo from the off and didn’t look one bit out of place. I mean, for a teenager, he’ still Leaving Cert, he was just so brave and direct. 

“His first thought is to get the head up and see if a score is on. It felt like an age at the start. With the swirling breeze, it was hard to get off the mark. 

“But Conor was the one to break that and once he got us going, we were up and motoring. It was a really good first-half showing”. 

He added: “Turlough Carr got off the bench again, Shea Malone has started two of the three games now. So those new lads have brought great energy and even enthusiasm to the thing. 

“They have integrated really well, they are great fun to be around and that rubs off on everyone. So from a squad perspective, we are in a really good position”. 

In regards to the overall health of the squad, it feels like for the first time in quite a while Donegal are approaching full strength. 

First choice goalkeeper Shaun Patton is one of the last remaining cogs still to make an appearance but is reported to be close to a return to action.

Ciaran Thompson’s ACL rehab means it’ll be another while before he’s ready to reintegrate with the squad on the training field.

“It’s always nice to see the medical room close to empty and the one or two left there, hopefully, they’re not far away. 

“Obviously, Ciaran will be a little while longer but with so many bodies on the pitch, it just adds to the levels at training and that pushes the whole thing on nicely”. 

Gallagher, an accountant by trade, says there are some obvious trends developing in season two as far as the new rules are concerned. 

And the adverse weather at this time of the season makes one aspect of all of that even trickier. 

“The obvious one, and i see and hear a lot about it, but teams are all coming with that high press. Mayo did as well. 

“Kickouts are huge; winning possession off of them dictates the direction of the game. They are that important. 

“Those are the two big things. But a little like last year, when the weather is like it is at this time of the season and there is a heavy breeze involved, we’re seeing swings in either half. 

“It just makes it really hard on the side looking to get their kckouts away, facing into it. It condenses the pitch by an extra ten to 15 metres. 

“It’s already squeezed the way it is, so just wee things like that make it extra tricky. Even on Saturday night, the likes of Galway and Louth were well behind in their games but all came back into it. 

“So you will see those swings at this time of year, games of two halves so to speak”.