Cassidy feels Donegal are getting undue criticism after Kerry loss

Strong criticism of Donegal’s somewhat “lethargic” display against Kerry is a “little unfair”, according to ex county star Kevin Cassidy.

There has been considerable criticism of Donegal’s failure to launch direct ball into the perceived weakness in the Kerry full-backline when they had the aid of a gale force wind. But Cassidy says there is an explanation for this matter.

“I think the criticism after the Kerry match is a little bit unfair. “Going down there, if I was Declan Bonner, I would say we already have three points and we are relatively comfortable and we still have three games to go and obviously you are not going to risk Michael Langan. I really did not expect a lot more from Donegal”.

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The Killybegs midfielder was back in the Donegal team for the first time since last July

“So to just turn it around and to find another target inside is just not natural to them and even though there was a breeze there, they are probably going to stick to the way they will be playing down the line.

“It is very hard to say that just because there is a strong breeze that we will just abandon everything we have been doing. I think it was not a case of damage limitation, but I think that deep down Donegal knew they were not going to win it and they were going to use it to see what they could get out of it and take it from there.

“It was a chance to give a few young lads a try out against Kerry and every manager sits down at the start of the year and looks at all the games and picks his team accordingly.

However Cassidy added that defeat to Tyrone on Saturday night in Ballybofey would cause more questions to arise.
“I know there has been a fair bit of criticism from Kerry, but I think that next Saturday is much more important and Donegal really need to turn up,” he said.

Kerry dispose of Donegal with minimal fuss in Killarney

In horrible conditions at Fitzgerald Stadium, Donegal trailed by seven points against the wind at half-time but failed to make sufficient inroads in the second period

“If they don’t, the question marks will hang over. We are at home in Ballybofey which is a big plus, and we haven’t been beaten there since 2010 in the league. And I would not be surprised if the lads had one eye on Saturday night.

But Tyrone will also have had an eye on this fixture as well, according to Cassidy. “They probably had one eye on this fixture as well and knew they were missing the four lads through suspension - Michael McKernan, Padraig Hampsey, Peter Harte, and Kieran McGeary - and Mattie Donnelly was also missing,” Cassidy added.

“But I would say they will be at full strength for this one in Ballybofey, which is hard to get anything out of. Saturday night’s game is important for Declan Bonner for if were to lose that one, then, all of a sudden, question marks arise."