'The Meath team of that time were the hardest team we ever faced' - Martin Shovlin

In 1988, Donegal played their first-ever home match in Division 1, their opponents that November afternoon were the reigning All-Ireland champions Meath. It was a very different time but for Martin Shovlin and his Donegal teammates, it was a sliding-doors moment. 

It’s hard to exactly pinpoint a moment in life when the winds change, but that day in 1988 could be a good starting point for Donegal’s road to success in the early 90s. 

“We played Meath in November that year, just two months after they beat Cork in the All-Ireland final, they were missing a few players, and I think the players that did turn up might have been a bit worse for wear that day . . . shows you the times that were in it,” joked Donegal legend Martin Shovlin. 

“I remember speaking to them after the match and a few of the Meath players told me they had quite the night in Bundoran, now they weren’t using that as an excuse, but you’ll let any team away with that after winning two All-Ireland's on the bounce.” 

Donegal overcame Meath that day on a scoreline of 0-15 to 1-6, in what one report described as ‘one of the most impressive results ever to come out of MacCumhaill Park in recent times’. 

Under the guidance of then manager Tom Conaghan, the win in Ballybofey that day summoned the question; ‘have Donegal made the all-important breakthrough in terms of having the confidence and the will to win?’ 

“I think when Tom took over the team, it’s fair to say there was a little bit of a shock to the system in terms of how hard we worked, but I think if you were playing in Division 1 and you’re really trying to compete, you had to toe the line or you wouldn’t have lasted long in that world,” said the Naomh Ultan man. 

“When I think back to that Meath team at the time, the best thing I can say about them is that they were a physical but fair team. I think they probably got a hard reputation from a lot of people in how they played, but I never found any malice in them.  

“Yeah, they were hard, but that’s the way the game was played back then, but the main thing we have to remember is that they were also excellent footballers. Alongside Cork, they were the standard bearers at that time, and that’s why those two teams dominated that era.” 

And while Meath has spent many years in the shadows of Leinster neighbours Dublin in recent times, they are now attempting to get back to the days of old under Colm O’Rourke. 

“Like it’s fair to say Meath are nowhere near where they used to be,” said Shovlin. “It just shows how influential and important Seán Boylan was to that county. He had a magical ability of rejuvenating a squad and making them winners, and when he left that loss was really felt. 

“Like even before Seán took over the Meath squad in the early 80s, they weren’t really one of the big teams. He set them up in a way where they would use their height and strength to their advantage, and it worked for them. They were probably the hardest team we ever faced.” 

Despite Meath being the reigning National League and All-Ireland champions in 1988, the Royals suffered relegation to Division 2 having only won a single match, while Donegal would narrowly avoid relegation that year with both Conaghan’s side and Monaghan finishing on six points, but with Donegal having a better scoring difference. 

However, both sides would clash again in the National League quarter-final in Clones in April 1990, only this time the Leinster side to ran out five-point victors. 

But perhaps the most memorable clash between these two sides occurred that summer when the newly crowned Ulster champions under the management of Brian McEniff reached the All-Ireland semi-final in Croke Park only to lose out to the Royal County on a scoreline of 3-9 to 1-7. 

“I think it was our lack of experience that cost us that day, we were so close to them, but it wasn’t to be. I think if we got into the lead at any stage that day, we might have put a bit of doubt into their heads, but in the last 10 minutes they turned the screw and kicked on. 

“I think if that day did anything for us, it instilled the belief that we were capable of competing with the best in the country. We knew we weren’t that far away and from there we went on an upward trend in terms of work rate and physicality.”