Guthrie factor cannot be denied says Donegal star Amy Boyle Carr

Amy Boyle Carr has described Karen Guthrie’s influence on Donegal ladies football as unfathomable.

The Glenfin club woman is into her 18th season as a senior inter-county footballer and her first appearance of the year last Sunday in Breffni Park coincided with the team securing its first victory of the 2023 campaign.

Having slipped out of Division 1 of the NFL without a single point to their name, Donegal travelled to take on Cavan in their Ulster SFC opener looking extremely vulnerable.

Boss Maxi Curran probably felt like he’d little or no choice but to turn to the team’s timeless talisman. Unsurprisingly, Guthrie responded to that call with 1-4 in Donegal’s 1-6 to 0-4 win over the hosts.

Carr says her prolific teammate’s impact makes such a dent that she deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as another Donegal legend, Michael Murphy.

“That’s the kind of level she brings,” the Naomh Conaill girl explained. “What she’s done for Donegal over the years, she’s a legend. She didn’t kick a ball during the league but comes back in and delivers to that level right away.

“She’s a special player. She brings so much to the equation. On the pitch, she’s amazing. But off it too, she brings so much leadership and encouragement. She’s one of the best players to ever wear the Donegal jersey.

“This season, with so many younger girls coming on board, to see her coaxing all that along as well, it’s such a help”.

Cavan had started the brighter team and the hosts moved into an early 0-3 to 0-1 lead.The outstanding Guthrie then hit the only goal of the game on 25 minutes to help Donegal to a 1-2 to 0-3 advantage at the break.

Cavan scored the first point of the second half with Neasa Byrd splitting the posts three minutes in, but that was the only score of the half for the hosts.

It was midway through the second period before Donegal responded with Susanne White converting a close-range free, and the visitors finished with three late points to claim a vital win despite a missed penalty from Player of the Year Niamh McLaughlin.

It wasn’t perfect, but Boyle Carr says it didn’t need to be. Grabbing a win was all that really mattered in Cavan.

“We would have taken your hand off for any kind of win - it was a monkey off our backs,” she explained. “It was a tough league campaign, we can’t deny that.

“But we knew with the likes of Niamh McLaughlin coming back into the fold, Karen waiting in the wings, there was room for real improvement. Cavan has never been an easy assignment over the years but we battled really well and we got the win we needed.

“The aim now is to kick on from that and to build on it”.

Next up for Donegal on Sunday is a clash with old foes and reigning Ulster champions Armagh. The sides have shared a searing rivalry over the last number of seasons but the Orchard girls have edged it in recent seasons with back to back provincial titles.

But with the winds of change blowing right through the Donegal ranks in the last year, Boyle Carr says the pressure is off Curran’s team in Lifford at the weekend.

“Ever since I came in in 2018, Armagh have been the rival in Ulster. But we can throw everything at it - they’re the ones that will go into it as big favourites. We have absolutely nothing to lose.

“They’d a really encouraging league, they’ve come up to Division 1. The pressure will be on them. It’s a round robin between the three teams so that’s why it was so important to get the win last weekend against Cavan”.

Naomh Padraig, Lifford, will host that Orchard test at the weekend but Boyle Carr says Donegal are looking forward to the change of scenery.

“Lifford… we’ve played in O’Donnell Park all season and it didn’t work out that great in the league. We’ve trained quite a bit in Lifford so we’re looking forward to a championship runout there”.