BRIAN MCENIFF COLUMN: Supporters have to get out and support Donegal on Sunday

It’s all about Sunday now for Donegal and their game with Mayo in Sean MacCumhaill Park. The bottom line is, we will be relegated if we don’t win. So there is no point in hanging back, we have to go for it.

Mayo are top of the league and playing well. They are undefeated as well and seem to be playing with a swagger. They will come to MacCumhaill Park with that swagger.

But we know what’s in front of us. If we want it enough to stay in Division 1, we have to show that we are up to it. We have enough players to make a fist of it.

But it will not be easy and we will have to improve again on recent performances. We will have to stop playing lateral football and go at them. We have plenty of experience in the Donegal panel and we just have to put our best foot forward.

What Mayo will bring on Sunday, I wouldn’t worry too much about. They might be almost qualified for the league final and might also be thinking of their meeting against Roscommon in the Connacht championship a week after the league final, but Donegal do not need to be getting their head in a knot thinking about what is going on in Mayo.

They will not be going out to throw a game either, to be fair about it. The last day against Roscommon in Dr Hyde Park, they didn’t start big O’Shea and they left their free-scoring corner forward O’Donoghue on the line as well. But this Mayo side are playing for fun at the moment and are dangerous. They have a lot of new, young and exciting players and they have had an extra month’s training on Donegal, as has every team.

But on Sunday we are into round six of the league and the difference in fitness should be equalising between all counties.

We have to approach the game in the right manner. Mayo will not do us any favours; they are still smarting from that 2012 All-Ireland final defeat. They are going to be in a league final, whether they like it or not and I have no doubt that they will want to win on Sunday.

But our needs are greater for this game. We have to get there in big numbers and get behind our team. The support for our team in Armagh the last night was terrible. We have to be better than that as Mayo will, as always, bring big numbers. We have to have a bigger support than them. If they outnumber us on the terraces, that would be embarrassing.

And, as I said, I think we have the players to do the job on Sunday. We have been gradually improving which is linked to our fitness levels.

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Our defence has been playing reasonably well and we have been getting a fair enough share around the middle of the field.

It is up to the forwards to produce the goods on Sunday and we have enough scoring forward to do that. We also have a settled team at the moment. We just have to accumulate a winning score - I think we will need at least 15, 16 points and maybe a goal.

It will be an opportunity for the MacCumhaill’s man, Oisin Gallen, to show what he can do on his home pitch. Jamie (Brennan) has been getting a point here and there but needs to get more and maybe a goal. You have Ciaran Thompson, Michael Langan and Conor O’Donnell who can all score. O’Donnell only got a point the last day but there is more in him.

They are all capable of doing it and will have to do it on Sunday. The conditions for the weekend will be milder and again, let’s get out and support the team. They need it this Sunday.

And the main thing is, we have to play to the final whistle if we are to get a result against Mayo.

Commiserations to our hurlers who took a beating on Sunday against Wicklow. Hopefully, they can bounce back in their final game against Tyrone.

Our ladies have another tough game this weekend, facing Dublin, but maybe they can turn a corner.

Good luck also to our minors who continue their Ulster Minor League campaign with a home game against Cavan in Convoy on St Patrick’s Day. They would seem to be on track to make the league final.

Finally, we are just a few weeks away now from the start of the All County League and I’m really looking forward to it. Pitches are in pretty good shape with the winter not being as harsh as other years. We have newcomers Downings in our first game in Bundoran and all clubs are putting in big preparation for the start of the new season.

Brian McEniff was in conversation with Peter Campbell