Donegal ladies boss James Daly quickly turns attention towards Westmeath 

Donegal ladies boss James Daly was content to start his reign with a draw away to Clare at the weekend. 

In a difficult Division 2, the Armagh native says it’s going to be a real learning curve for his young side as they look to transition and, at the same time, remain competitive. 

New captain Roisin Rodgers, with virtually the last kick of the game, sealed a draw for the visitors in Clarecastle on a scoreline of 1-4 to 0-7. 

And next up is another away trek next Saturday as Donegal travel to Westmeath. 

“The conditions were tough,” Daly said after. “We maybe didn't adapt to the conditions as well as we should have, but it was the same for both teams, so the scores were tough to come by.

But look, I got as much out of the girls as far as effort and work rate as we possibly could. It's good to get a point on the board and to come down here and put all that work in”.

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Daly, alongside Bernard McGeehan and Karen Guthrie are doing their utmost to get what’s a very inexperienced Donegal to a level where they can hang with the Division’s top sides and nick points and results of the others. 

Daly says he’s come into the role with his eyes wide open and understands that it’s a process that will take time. 

“Coming in here we knew this wasn't going to be a quick fix.  I think we're down to six starters alone from last season. We had three girls starting out there today that are still in school.

So there's a lot to be happy about. There's a lot of good players in this squad and we've got a look at 20 of them out there day.

“And that's what we're about right now. We're trying to find out about everybody, what's their strengths and weaknesses.

“If we could get the win next week, the other girls outside of that will get an opportunity to see what they can do as well.  

“ But every game is going to be tough. Division 2 is very, very competitive. We’ll just look at how the players feel on Monday, see if there are any niggles and then turn attention to Westmeath”.