Paddy Andrews: Shades of the ambush days in Donegal since Jim McGuinness return

Paddy Andrews can see similarities in Donegal since the Second Coming.

It is almost ten years now since Andrews stood shell-shocked in Croke Park after being on the wrong end of a Donegal ambush in a 2014 All-Ireland semi-final.

Jim McGuinness masterminded the perfect plan as Donegal toppled the Dubs.

In 2011, Andrews watched from home as Dublin struggled over the line against Donegal on the day when McGuinness brought an extra strong blanket.

Three years later, Andrews was on the pitch at Croke Park when Donegal caused a seismic shock. The St Brigid's man says Donegal can't be ruled out of making waves as they begin the All-Ireland group series against Tyrone in Ballybofey on Saturday night.

“No one will want to play Donegal,” Andrews told Donegal Live.

“They have a good style and good players. Donegal have some really good players. Look at Jason McGee and Michael Langan, they were the standout midfielders in Ulster. There is a buzz about them.

“Can they win the All-Ireland? Well, we would've said earlier in the year that whoever won Ulster would have a big chance.

“Jim is an incredible manager and how quickly they have turned things around when there was a danger after being relegated last year that Donegal could have kept sliding.”

With the Ulster title in their pocket, Donegal have certainly made their rivals sit up and take note.

Ten years ago, Dublin were the reigning All-Ireland champions and many believed that Donegal – who had hold of Sam Maguire in 2012 – had diminished powers.

Dublin hammered Monaghan by 17 points and Donegal needed a late Patrick McBrearty point to see off Armagh.

Few gave Donegal a prayer against Dublin.

“Some people were almost speaking about Donegal as if they were a pub team the way the whole narrative was,” Andrews recalls. “They were only the All-Ireland champions two years before that.

“We thought that we were great. We were the All-Ireland champions and we won Leinster and the League easily. We beat Monaghan well in the quarter-finals. We were a god team, but we did think we were better than Donegal.”

The game was going to script when Dublin led by five as the first half was winding to a close.

A Ryan McHugh goal turned the afternoon on its head. Donegal were 1-8 to 0-10 in front and with McHugh and Colm McFadden netting in front of Hill 16, Donegal were toasting a 3-14 to 0-17 win.

“Donegal came with a game plan and we were just slow to adapt,” Andrews says now.

“Donegal's goals caught us out. They had a really good plan and it was well executed.

“Jim gets an awful lot of credit, and rightly so, but Donegal had brilliant footballers too. There were some unbelievable Donegal players on that team.”

Donegal lost the All-Ireland final to Kerry and the winter was long in the capital. It was 2021 before Dublin next lost a Championship match.

Andrews says: “We got well caught out by Donegal, but that was a massive game for Dublin too. We didn't lose another Championship match after that for six years.

“There were some really harsh lessons learned from that day. For us, what we definitely took from the game was not getting ahead of ourselves. If you don't prepare properly, then you'll get punished.

“We certainly learned not to be complacent again.”

The sides met again in a quarter-final in 2016. By that stage, McGuinness had departed Donegal, but they still possessed a threat. Dublin were fairly comfortable 1-15 to 1-10 winners.

“There was a time in the second half where we were cruising, but Donegal turned us over and Ryan McHugh got a goal,” Andrews remembers.

“I was on the square, thinking: 'Ah f***, don't turn the ball over there. Ten seconds later, McHugh got the goal and that still showed how dangerous that Donegal were.”

Andrews, a good friend of former Donegal captain Michael Murphy, will be at Sean MacCumhaill Park on Saturday night as Donegal go toe-to-toe with Tyrone.

Ten years on from a game that still gnaws at those attired in navy blue that August Sunday, Andrews is intrigued by the chapter McGuinness will pen this summer.

He says: “It was an ambush against Donegal for us in 2014. There were shades of it when they beat Derry a few weeks ago, especially with the transition and the speed they had.

“Now, Donegal are probably the most high profile team of the Championship. I think they have been the story of the Championship so far.

“There is a resilience and belief with Jim as well as tactics and innovations. It's a beautiful place to be where you just go by hook or crook to win and that can't be discounted.”

Paddy Andrews will be in Donegal on Friday night to co-host Off The Ball's 'The Football Pod Live' with former Kerry player James O'Donoghue at The Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny. The show will feature special guests Eamon McGee and Owen Mulligan.

Tickets cost €20 and can be got by clicking here or go to offtheball.com/events. Doors open at 6.30pm with the live show to get underway at 7.30pm.