Donegal V Derry Ulster Quarter Final June 16th

J70 · May 21, 2012, 03:30:57 PM

Rematch of last year's final. Haven't kept up with Derry but I would assume the Bradleys will play and are in decent form? Murphy will be back for us, but will he be fully fit and back in top form?

Can't see us getting as handy a win as last year, but I would hope that our defense will keep Derry quiet enough for us to nick it. Revenge is a fine motivator, but will John Brennan stubbornly stick to his traditional style of football like last year?

sheamy · May 21, 2012, 03:54:37 PM

Paddy has a dodgy knee and Eoin is nowhere near fit. Add that to the most porous defence in div 2 and this will be like a walk on Bunbeg beach for Donegal.

cadence · May 21, 2012, 04:42:38 PM

by all accounts we were sloppy, coughing up a lot of ball against cavan and will need to improve if we're to beat derry. will be a good game this one. really looking forward to it.

Keane · May 22, 2012, 12:07:52 PM

I don't think Derry are anywhere near as bad as they're generally made out to be on this forum, but they really need a full squad to compete with the best of the rest in Ulster.

tbrick18 · May 22, 2012, 04:37:39 PM

Derry are not as bad as they are being made out to be.
If we had everyone, or even 90% of our players fit I think we'd push anyone in Ulster.
Our injuries do seem to be starting to clear up, but we're an unknown quantity going into this game.
No idea who will be fit and if the team will be able to gel with the players returning from injury before the match.
It could be that Derry pull it all together for that match, or we could get an absolute tanking.
We should have both Bradleys, Gerard O'Kane, Dermot McBride, Mark Lynch, Danny Devlin all available by then and most of them have been missing for large parts of the league yet they will probably still make up the spine of the team.
Then add in a host of other players at various stages of fitness after injury. At the very least we should have a stronger panel by the time this match comes around, I just hope we can pull it together in time.

screenmachine · May 22, 2012, 05:57:56 PM

Derry won't be fit enough to match Donegal's system or style of play. Donegal will slowly etch up a 3-4 point lead which won't be relinquished, if Donegal score a goal to go three or four points up we're fucked. They'll crowd out the defence and Derry won't be able to break it down as has been the case for the past decade when anyone plays a blanket defence against Derry.

There's a few ways Derry can win this. Nail a few of Donegal's key runners early on. Judging from last weekends match Derry will need to put a Joe Diver or Patsy Bradley shaped hole in Mark McHugh, Karl Lacey and maybe Frank McGlynn - all three seemed to be all over the pitch against Cavan for about 50 minutes of the game by which stage it was over. Dublin removed Lacey last year and Donegal weren't as effective. Cynical, but it'll be interesting to see how well a few boys would run up and down the pitch after being emptied, dead legs, etc.

All in all though I think Donegal will win handy enough by 4-5 points unless Derry get very cynical or have got a lot fitter since the league stages.

tonesfirstandlast · May 22, 2012, 07:08:37 PM

Quote from: screenmachine on May 22, 2012, 05:57:56 PM
Derry won't be fit enough to match Donegal's system or style of play. Donegal will slowly etch up a 3-4 point lead which won't be relinquished, if Donegal score a goal to go three or four points up we're fucked. They'll crowd out the defence and Derry won't be able to break it down as has been the case for the past decade when anyone plays a blanket defence against Derry.

There's a few ways Derry can win this. Nail a few of Donegal's key runners early on. Judging from last weekends match Derry will need to put a Joe Diver or Patsy Bradley shaped hole in Mark McHugh, Karl Lacey and maybe Frank McGlynn - all three seemed to be all over the pitch against Cavan for about 50 minutes of the game by which stage it was over. Dublin removed Lacey last year and Donegal weren't as effective. Cynical, but it'll be interesting to see how well a few boys would run up and down the pitch after being emptied, dead legs, etc.

All in all though I think Donegal will win handy enough by 4-5 points unless Derry get very cynical or have got a lot fitter since the league stages.

Typical dirty Ballinascreen

seafoid · May 22, 2012, 08:39:53 PM

Match preview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZYyx3HC1sk

Wildweasel74 · May 23, 2012, 01:07:19 AM

did someone say a good game?? nobody in donegal that nite for the McKenna cup cup brutal stuff, it be tight, but be damn horrible to watch and i put it no other way, derry will set up the same way as donegal, they have been trying it out early on in the mckenna cup but McCamley which had been earmarked as positioning himself in front of the back 3 has been injured along time and looked the only one capable of playing this defensive postion from midfield, i expect to see about 4 changes in the derry team from the last league game but not give much away, derry league runs another wk or 2, we likely to pick up a few injuries along the way,we went back slightly from last year in terms of a panel but have the fire power to win the game, though donegal gotta have the edge at home, this been up in celtic park might have fancied it then though we havent been good there either recently

POBreaslain · May 31, 2012, 11:26:33 PM

Murphys back! Nice one. Hopefully he can play a good part against Derry. I'm not sure that he'll last the 70 mins though. Fingers crossed he doesn't get injured again.

oakleafgael · May 31, 2012, 11:31:45 PM

He wont be needed. There is no need for the Derry supporters to play the poor mouth on this occassion. I haven't known a time when there was less expectations in the county team. Gerard O'Kane is a big doubt after a hamstring injury on top of the other problems with injuries. I just can't see any way that Derry can get the better of Donegal.

Wildweasel74 · May 31, 2012, 11:42:43 PM

think u beat us if Murphy playing or not, Derry just not going overly hot all year, i keep expecting them to click into gear come championship as they played half interested through the league games, have missed 1 game in 2yrs (Mckenna cup last yr at cavan) and i couldn't tell you what the Derry line up will be! couple of starters likely out injured, team be the same as the league i would think , though scullion will come in at corner back, other corner no idea, pity Brendan of ballinascreen/kildare is still injured, Gillis will stay in nets given the change to the square ball rule this yr, Craig likely be no.6 though i would have tried him at corner back in the league but he was injured and never tried there, and go with C Kielt at 6,midfield will be friel with either mccloskey or diver,up front , no idea, lynch be halfward, and the 2 Bradley's in the full forward, O`Boyle likely in there too, given the rule change but he wasn't on form past few Derry games, so Derry be same or there abouts, dont know whether that be enough, had we the 2 Bradley's for the ulster final last year i would have been so confident but Derry lost players and form, where as donegal have improved, the kildare game last year brought them on leaps and bounds. Donegal to win through in a low scoring game, that be terrible to watch, and know what i be at it anyway!! Just hard to know what u get with Derry on the day to tell you the truth!!

Oak Leafer · June 01, 2012, 09:38:57 AM

I think Dermot McBride will be a massive doubt also having picked up an injury again in a club game last week.

Agree with other Derry posters, hard to fathom how in under god we can beat Donegal.

In other years, you could always be optimistic about Derry producing one of their better days and causing a shock, however in my mind Donegal are playing a system that is now second nature to them. They are also ahead of Derry in terms of fitness and conditioning.

I think because of the way Donegal play it will be tight regardless. We must avoid the concession of any goals to stand any chance.

Did i read yesterday that Rory Kavanagh is a doubt? He would be a loss to Donegal.

POBreaslain · June 05, 2012, 12:02:41 AM

Good news for Kavanagh
04 June 2012

Donegal manager Jim McGuiness expects Rory Kavanagh to be fit for Saturday week's Ulster SFC quarter-final against Derry.

A scan revealed that the long-serving midfielder sustained partial tears to two ligaments on his left ankle when playing for St. Eunan's against Ardara in a Donegal SFL game last Sunday week, but with intensive treatment, McGuinness is confident he will be ready for the Ballybofey showdown.

"He's making good progress and we're hopeful he'll be available for the Derry game," he told The Irish Daily Star.

The news regarding Michael Murphy is also positive after he returned to training last week following groin surgery in March.

"Michael is back out on the field, but it will take him some time to get back up to the level of the other players as he's been out now for nine weeks. We'll monitor him closely, but he's had no recurrence of the injury - which is a great starting point."

Paddy McGrath (quad muscle), David Walsh (calf) and Anthony Thompson (hamstring) are also carrying injuries at present, but aren't thought to be in any danger of missing the Derry game.

tbrick18 · June 08, 2012, 09:45:09 AM

McBride, and O'Boyle definitely out for us and Eoin Bradley is extremely doubtful all due to injury.
Gerard O'Kane is supposed to be making progress on his return from injury but I'd imagine he'd be doubtful too.
Not looking good for us at all at the minute. We're in dire need of O'Kane and McBride in defence IMO as we've really struggled without them this year.
It's all on the day, but it's looking like we're going to be quite a bit off our first team for this game so I wouldnt be at all confident.