Glass-half-full for Devaney as he praises Ardara players for a never giving up

Ardara manager Damien Devaney admits that the breaks haven’t fallen his side’s way this year but it never stopped his team from going out every week and giving their all for the team. 

His side’s 2024 season came to an end last Saturday night when Ardara fell to a disappointing 2-11 to 0-5 point defeat at the hands of a strong St Eunan’s side in MacCumhaill Park. 

And while it may have been accepted that the two late goals from Conor Morrison and Niall O’Donnell may have resulted in a rather unflattering scoreline for the Ardara men, there was no denying that the Letterkenny men are still one of the top sides in the competition as they look to win back the county title for the first time since 2021.  

Devaney further highlighted the gap between the top three teams and the rest when comparing the difference in squad depth, with his side missing several players for Saturday’s preliminary quarter-final through injuries.  

“It was a tough battle, we went out to defend with as many numbers as we could and just work really hard, and I think the boys did that considering we kept Eunan’s to two points for the first 20 minutes of the second half,” Devaney said after the match. 

“It was 0-9 to 0-3 at that stage and with that, we could’ve had a penalty shout. However, following that, Eunan’s went up the field and scored a goal and it all turned then. 

“The plan was to keep the game to four or five points and go at them towards the end but it turned out that we got caught for two goals which wasn’t really a fair reflection on the scoreline.” 

But despite a disappointing end for his side’s season, the Ardara boss still looks with a glass-half-full approach, with particular praise going towards his squad’s effort and never-say-die attitude throughout the year. 

“It’s been a frustrating year with injuries and different things,” he said. “We were missing boys for this Eunan’s game and some lads played this match while carrying knocks, so massive credit has to go to the boys for battling right to the end and I’m very proud of them. 

“I suppose playing St Eunan’s, it didn’t bother us but hats off to them, they’re just an unbelievable team and I really think that they’d put it up to a few county teams with the squad that they have.  

“From our own point of view, we’re disappointed with the result but happy where we’re at considering we only had 18 players to choose from and we still went out and put up a fight. 

“We nearly had two first-half goals, we targeted goals for this game, if they went into the back of the net, it’s a different game but unfortunately it wasn’t to be, we haven’t been getting many breaks this season but at the same time we’ve been two years out of relegation which is also a massive positive.” 

Looking at the gulf in class following his side’s 12-point defeat, Devaney believes that despite the strength of the top teams in Donegal, he feels the gap is now closing with several teams capable of putting it up to them, but feels it’ll take another while before new teams start to challenge the likes of St Eunan’s or Naomh Conaill for county titles. 

“There are definitely teams in the county bridging that gap but it’s still going to take time,” he said.  

“Unfortunately, when you play the top teams, it results in setting up the way we had to set up against St Eunan’s where you’re trying to defend deep and keep the score as tight as possible and then hope that when you push out and get the break then you hope you’re accurate on the shooting side too. 

“So there still is a gap because then you have to match a strong gameplan with a strong panel which St Eunan’s and these top sides have, so it’s not easy.” 

But the Ardara boss can walk away from 2024 with major positives and hopes to carry them into 2025. 

“I think for us we have a bright future if we can keep the likes of the Paddy McGraths and the Classons on the team and mix that with a strong minor team coming through, then we should be fine.”