Donegal learning on the job, but James Daly sees the bigger picture

James Daly has been around football long enough to know that patience is an underrated virtue.  

Two games into their Division 2 campaign, Donegal’s ladies remain unbeaten. That’s the glass-half-full view. The reality, though, is that they are still waiting for a win, with consecutive draws against Clare and Westmeath leaving them in a strange kind of limbo.  

The results tell a story of promise and inexperience in equal measure. This is a side packed with young talent, feeling its way in a fiercely competitive environment. And their manager is under no illusions about the task at hand.  

“We have two games complete, the one last Sunday I feel we should’ve won, but I’m not too down on it because we’re a young team that are going to make mistakes, and we have to learn from those mistakes,” Daly admits.  

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The balance between optimism and realism is delicate. On the one hand, Donegal has yet to taste defeat. On the other, they have yet to fully impose themselves but they hope that they will get points on the league table this weekend when they host their first league game at home this weekend when they face Monaghan in Lifford at 2pm.  

“We haven’t lost yet, which is good, but we haven’t won either, so it’s about getting all our pieces together and having us operating at the one time.”  

Daly, though, is excited about what lies ahead.   

His team is built around emerging talent, with four of last year’s minors starting against Westmeath. That, in itself, is both a statement and a challenge.  

“Now, every one of them is fit enough to hold their own and is good enough to be there, but they’re just young, and that is going to result in mistakes,” he explains. “So, we as a management have to come together and try to make things better and coach the girls to get that experience.  

“A simple thing from last week’s game was we let Westmeath come back into the match and get a late goal. We then scored two points to go ahead, and then we let the game slip away from us again. But in fairness, that’s on all of us, so it’s up to all of us to turn things around.”  

Yet despite what may look like early setbacks, Daly is loving the process. He speaks with conviction about a squad bursting with potential, about players eager to learn and improve.  

“I’m loving every minute of this job; I think I’m working with a brilliant group who are so keen and so eager to learn,” he says. 

“Every one of the players has quality, but they’re just a young side, and we all know that we don’t learn experience overnight. It can take a long time, but I have no doubt that this team will be winning big trophies in a few years.”  

He cites Mia Bennett, Eve Gallagher, and Tara Rose Mahon as names to remember. Players who will, in time, carry this team forward.  

“We have top players like Mia Bennett, Eve Gallagher, Tara Rose Mahon, all of which have quality, but they’re so young, and it’s going to take them time to find their feet.  

“We had Rhiana McColgan playing midfield the last day, and she’s only 17, playing in a major position for Donegal,” Daly points out.  

“But what’s brilliant about a player like her and all the others is that they are hungry to learn, and everything we say to them, they take it in. We are really looking forward to working with these players for the next few years.”  

However, in a position where sometimes results mean everything, it is, as Daly acknowledges, about striking the right balance. 

There is no substitute for experience, and in Jodie McFadden, Donegal has a player who has learned to navigate the high-pressure moments coming in a number of years ago inexperienced to become a player who has gained it in buckets over time.  

“I think at the minute in Division 2, it’s all about looking at what player suits what. We talk about experience, and the last day we saw Jodie McFadden, who has a few more seasons under her belt than the players I named, score some brilliant scores. You could see the experience she’s gained over the last few years, which has helped her.  

“Jodie now knows how to deal with pressure and not try to force things at times. That’s the experience coming out in her, and no doubt the younger players will take from that the more they progress and develop as players.”  

Donegal’s defence has been sound, limiting both Clare and Westmeath to modest scoring totals. But at the other end of the pitch, they have lacked a cutting edge.  

“I think at the moment when you look at our results, it’s interesting that we’ve held two teams to 1-4 and 1-6,” Daly observes. “So, we’re holding teams to an average of eight points, which is great, but at the same time, we’re only scoring eight points. So that’s one area we have to work on, and we will work on it.”  

The learning curve is steep. But there is no panic in Daly’s voice. He sees a squad that is growing, a team that is absorbing the hard lessons and using them as stepping stones.  

Results will come. But for now, Donegal is embracing the process, knowing that real progress is measured in building for the future.