'We wouldn't be overly pleased with how we played' - Eamonn Sheridan

Donegal League manager Eamonn Sheridan said his team has a lot to work on when they welcome the Inishowen League to Ballyare for the second leg of the Oscar Traynor Cup in 2025.

The two Donegal sides could not be separated following their 2-2 draw in a rain-soaked Maginn Park on Saturday, and it will now come down to the wire to see who will advance to the next round when both sides clash in the new year.

In an evenly contested opening period, both sides had their moments but goals from Luke Rudden and Eddie O’Reilly saw both sides exit at the break on level pegging.

Diarmuid O’Brien’s hosts had the better of the second-half exchanges but again, a goal apiece at either end meant it eventually ended all square. 

For Sheridan, he was content with the result, but not with his side's overall performance, and knows that there is a lot to work on for the next match.

"It was a tight battle which we expected, and in fairness to Inishowen, they put it up to us," the Donegal League manager said.

"There were a couple of chances in which they were really unlucky not to score, and we had one or two (chances) ourselves but not enough of them.

"I wouldn't be overly pleased with how we played, I thought there was more in us, but we knew it was going to be a battle, and maybe we didn't have enough work done because we weren't happy on how it was working out.

"We were very sloppy in a lot of passes when we did break and the final ball just wasn't there, it wasn't good enough, so, we have plenty to work on and the tie is still alive."

O'Reilly sent through BJ Banda to put the Donegal League side in front in the second half, but with the Inishowen side playing the better football at this stage, it was only a matter of time before they would be back on level terms as Lee McColgan took on the responsibility and made no mistake as he slammed the ball straight down the middle on the goals.

By that point, Sheridan was satisfied to come away with a draw and hopes the fact that his side has a home tie in the next leg will give his team a slight advantage.

"Inishowen are a very good team in fairness to them, but we kept the tie alive and that's the bottom line," he insisted.

"We have a month to regroup, and at least we're at home and we'll try to make that work."