McShea's Say: Galway draw was a point dropped for Donegal

When a team does not score in 32 minutes one would imagine that securing a draw would be a most satisfactory conclusion to any game of football.

But I believe Donegal left a crucial point behind in Letterkenny on Sunday. Yes, they did show good spirit in scoring three points in the closing minutes to deprive Galway of winning a match.

However, Galway looked a very limited outfit and in shooting 12 wides, all from eminently scoring positions, Donegal allowed The Tribesmen to stay in the game. Donegal’s loyal supporters yet again gave their side a great lift in those vital closing minutes by getting behind their team.

But with games away to Armagh next Saturday, Mayo coming to Ballybofey on March 19 and a visit to Roscommon on March 26; the spectre of relegation still looms large. I didn’t understand those who considered this to be a good game because the degree of lateral football engaged in by both teams was both ineffective and far from easy on the eye.

And the attempts at point-scoring by both sides, but particularly Donegal, was substandard. Coming into this match, it was obvious that the Galway ‘keeper was most uncomfortable under the high ball.

On the one occasion that he was tested in this respect, his attempt at fisting the ball away was far from effective. He punched the ball straight up in the air putting his defence under extreme pressure and conceding the penalty, which resulted in Donegal’s badly needed goal.

Why Donegal did not use the route one option more often was hard to understand. A week ago, Matthew Tierney won the ‘Man of the Match’ award against Tyrone. Tierney is a fine player but is totally left footed. It was difficult to figure out why the Donegal management did not legislate for Tierney’s total dependence on his left side.

A Donegal defender should have been deployed to concentrate on this aspect of the Galway forward’s game, and not allow him to exert his influence to the extent he did, when he picked up the ‘Man of the Match accolade for the second week in a row.

A less than convincing second half defensive performance a week earlier against Monaghan had exposed a raft of problem areas which needed to be addressed before Galway came to town.

As a team Donegal were poor in defence against Monaghan, but it just wasn’t the defence it was the whole team. They didn’t defend as a team. On Sunday Donegal’s best players were in defence. In goal, Shaun Patton had another fine game.

His dispatches were excellent. And he once again got himself on the score sheet with a very good long range free. At full back Brendan McCole had his best game for some time. He closed his immediate opponent down at every opportunity, squeezing him to the point of submission. Indeed, the Galway full forward was replaced at half time.

Mark Curran gave another cracking display at corner back. He has played consistently well since his introduction to this level of football and the Dungloe man has a confidence not always in evidence in one so young.

Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher looked like his old self against Galway while both Michael Langan and Oisin Gallen had some good moments and will benefit from game time. Another area where Donegal need to improve is in the art of tackling, some players are pulling and dragging with both hands which makes life easy for a referee to award frees.

With most teams now having very reliable place kickers, this type of lazy, careless tackling must be eroded very quickly if Donegal are to stay in the top grade of football. As for Galway, they will be a better team with Shane Walsh and Damien Comer back on board.

But I’m not sure about their ability to deliver at national level because football now is a 20-man game and Galway’s back up players looked quite brittle in O’Donnell Park.

Orchard raid

To get anything out of Armagh on Saturday night Donegal will need to play with lots of passion and raw courage. People talk a lot about Armagh’s physical strength, but Donegal are just as big as them and if they play with character, guts and determination those qualities will be vital in the quest for priceless points.

No doubt there will be jostling early in the game, that is the way Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney played himself so discipline will be of the utmost importance and to lose a player at this stage of the league would be fatal to a team’s prospects of victory.

Armagh, like Donegal, have very big support. They had a serious crowd in Kerry last weekend and for Donegal a good start to this game is vital because if the hosts go in front early, their support will get behind them quickly and they will be difficult to reel in.

Mickey Sweeney

On Monday morning I was in Letterkenny for the funeral of an old teammate, Mickey Sweeney. Mickey was full forward on Donegal’s first Ulster winning team back in 1972. He was the youngest member of that team.

He played a major role in that historic success and his mobility and his aggressive game made him a huge part of that Donegal team. His football was thrilling and unconventional. For such a young player, Mickey played a very big role in giving his team the confidence and the impetus that was needed to help Donegal get over the psychological barrier of winning that elusive championship for the very first time.

He was a very good footballer who could think for himself on the field. He was most unfortunate to be plagued by injury early in his career and those injury problems deprived Donegal of a special talent much too soon.

On Tuesday I was joined by fellow teammates Anthony Gallagher, Martin Carney, Andy Curran, Brian McEniff and Declan O’Carroll to say a final farewell to a comrade and friend. The very large attendance at Mickey’s funeral reflected the popularity and esteem for Mickey. To his family I extend my deepest sympathy.