Donegal need to up intensity or they’ll be left behind - Matt Gallagher

Donegal are going to have to be more aggressive and play with a greater level of intensity than they did against Down when they face Clare, in Ennis, on Saturday, in the All-Ireland championship.

That is the view of 1992 Donegal All-Ireland winning full-back Matt Gallagher.

The Naomh Brid clubman was very disappointed with Donegal’s second half performance against Down, in the first round of the Ulster championship.

He also believes that Donegal are going to have to be braver and more clinical up front than they showed against the men from the Mourne County.

“We did well in the first half until they scored the first goal, which was a really bad goal to give away.

“Liam Kerr got through our defence far too easily, ” said Gallagher. “It was then level at half-time when I felt we should have a three or four point lead.

“Down started to run at us after they scored the goal and Ryan Johnston caused us a lot of problems and it was he who was pulled down for the penalty.

“We did not step up our game in the second half and our shot selection was poor. Under a bit of pressure, we started to shoot from too far out, which proved costly.

“Our finishing against Down, overall, was very disappointing. It seemed as if the second Down goal drained whatever little level of confidence they had completely out of them”.

Gallagher added that if Donegal are to progress in the All-Ireland series they are going to have to learn from the Down defeat.

And he is of the stern view that has to begin this Saturday against Clare, a team that will no doubt also see Donegal as their best chance of claiming points in a section that also includes Ulster champs Derry and Monaghan.

“Clare will be up for this game, make no mistake about that. It is their home game, they will see it as their best chance of picking up the necessary win to qualify for the knockout stages.

“They qualified for the All-Ireland quarter-final last year and I feel their goal will be to make it through to the knockout stages again this year.”

After the trip to Clare, Donegal are home to Derry in the second round and will face Monaghan, on neutral soil, in the last of the group games.

“Like I said, Clare are probably the least strong of the teams we are going to face and Saturday’s game is possibly our best chance of a win too.

“But Clare at home in Cusack Park will be a tough nut to crack. I know they had a disappointing league campaign and got relegated to Division 3.

“They bounced back and reached the Munster final and though Kerry beat them well they still managed to score 15 points in the final.

“We are going to have to match their intensity level and aggression and we are going to have to up our scoring rate. That was our problem all through the league, we were not scoring enough.

“I believe if we learn from the Down performance and match Clare in those areas I just mentioned, then we have the football to win. But we are going to have to see a serious improvement if that is to happen.”