A case of ‘job done’ for Donegal U-20s and Shaun Paul Barrett

Donegal under-20’s manager Shaun Paul Barrett is delighted that his side completed their objective of finishing top of their Ulster Championship group and is looking forward to a home clash with either Derry in Cavan.

Donegal achieved this goal courtesy of a 1-6 to 0-7  victory over Armagh in O’Donnell Park on Saturday afternoon. 

Barrett mentioned how the playing conditions were very difficult, with a strong breeze blowing in O’Donnell Park throughout. He was pleased with how his men controlled proceedings in the opening stanza however, they could have handled things better in the second. 

“Conditions were very poor today, very blustery and a very strong breeze so it was difficult for both teams. However, the surface of the pitch was good”, he said.

“We’d be happy with the first-half performance. We controlled the game well in the first half but we’d be a wee bit disappointed with our shot selection and decision-making in the second half.”

With scores difficult to come by, due to the conditions, and just two points separating the sides at full-time, KJ Molloy’s 23rd-minute goal was the vital one in this huge contest. The Ardara man got on the end of a ball from Oisin Caulfield and his manager stated that when the young corner-forward is in that position, he’s not going to miss. 

“Yeah, Oisin put a great ball into KJ, whether it was intentional or not I’m not sure but Oisin said it was”, Barrett said jokingly. “KJ won it and when KJ is in there he’s going to score.”

It could be said that Donegal winning this encounter was primarily down to the fantastic work that they did in the opening stanza and the way in which they managed to control proceedings while having a severe breeze blowing into their faces. 

The Milford man mentioned that they decided pre-match that if given the opportunity, they would play against the wind in the opening half of the game. This was a choice that proved dividends due to the way the Orchard county set up against them.

“We made the decision before the game that we would play into the wind and face the elements in the first half”, Barrett said.

“We thought they would come at us heavily in the first half but that didn’t transpire. We had possession and we kept possession. They stayed back in their formation and when we stayed out they found it difficult to get the ball. We also turned them over a few times in attack so we were very happy with the first half.”

With victory here, Donegal now progress to an Ulster semi-final. Here they’ll face either Derry or Cavan, which they’ll have the privilege of playing in their own backyard. 

The Donegal boss said that this was the objective of the squad from the very beginning. Now, however, it's knockout football and with the competition that Ulster possesses, every game is massive. 

“That’s what we were hoping for, that was our intention right away. From the start when the draw was made, we knew what the formation was and we knew the carat of a home semi-final if we got through top of the group. So that’s where we are now, but now it's a knockout”, mentioned Barrett.

He continued: “You’re looking at either Derry or Cavan in the semi-final so it’ll be a massive test. Then you’re looking at the other side and Armagh are going to play Monaghan and the winners will face Tyrone, again massive. The competition in Ulster is huge. There’s very little between the teams and any side can take points off the others. Now it's knockout so there’s no second chances.”