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. A home venue, a ground they trudge every second game in the League and every game in the Championship. Home beds! Familiar dressing rooms. Familiar Journey to game. Mayo in 2014 and Donegal in 2015 avoided getting to the final. They knew their fitness levels are different and that an ambush is better not forewarned. And a heavy loss far outweighs anything a League title can do for confidence!

And how did Mayo and Donegal get on in those years- oh wait now

Oh wait now indeed. Wait until the 2015 season is over before speaking about it in the past tense.

Surprised by a couple of the comments above, I thought this was a really entertaining game. Some excellent scores kicked, plenty of excitement and tough play. Really enjoyed it.

Relegation's no disaster, Tyrone showed real signs of life today and this match will bring them on a lot, and was great preparation for the summer.

Lyne looks good for Kerry in the half-backs.

Quite a bad tempered wee match, probably could have been better officiated but sure that's how it goes.

Draw was a fair result really, I don't think either team will be too worked up about it. Mayo were ok, little bit wasteful, but I'm sure that having Cillian O'Connor back will help with that.

Moran, McGlynn, MacNiallais, Both Ó Sé's and McBrearty were really good.

I've no real interest in seeing Donegal go much further, would prefer if Rory sent a few of the lads needing game time out next week against Cork, the like of Thompson, O'Connor, or Eoin McHugh.

Jim was in the Celtic dugout for the first time today for their 5-0 win against Ross County.

Seems like he has a more hands-on role with the senior team now.

A very fine footballer, who'll be missed by his county, though I'm sure he'll get another chance to grace the national stage at some point with his club.

Where do the Bus Eireann buses stop in Carrick?

Sorry lads, I've never been. 

Is it far from the ground?

Venue is a bit of a concern. Only holds 9k so tickets will be tight, and there is only one bus and no trains back to Dublin after the game - a bus I'll have to skip if it goes to extra time! 

I can't imagine that he would bother to make it up. People decline the opportunity go to the Gardaí with all sort of grievances all the time, Spillane probably thought it just wasn't worth his while.

Anyway, if you need a witnesses account so badly, give Brian Mullins a call - he was supposed to have been nearby.

Reminds me of yer man punching Alex Ferguson in the balls in a train station in London a year or two ago.

Yeah, you might hold him up as soon sort of cartoon villain but at the end of the day, you're assaulting a man of retirement age in public. If that's something you think is acceptable, then that's a shame.

You'll never be short of a few idiots though. Terrible behaviour, imo.

Small town politics - some local representatives getting petty. They sound like a few men who can't see the wood for the trees.

On another note, I don't think the fans are anywhere near as cocksure as is being suggested.

It'll be Donegal's toughest game and biggest text of this season, and while I hope they win, I'm not certain of anything. No one I know is being particularly cocky about it either. Sure, you'll get a few eejits in every county, but there's been such a concerted effort by some folk to play the 'Donegal are getting carried away with it' card by some supporters - and some analysts too, David Brady in particular - since the semi final that I've been genuinely suprised.#

No problem with Mayo, no problem with Mayo's support (as I'm well aware the Devenney could more than match any dumb statement Brady makes) and looking forward to a good battle between two evenly matched teams who both desperately want the win.

Mayo were super in the first half.

Delighted for them, they'll make fien opponents and it should be a great day out. Croke park will be creaking from all the emotion.

See you all in 20 (?) days!

A fantastic player. Can't say a bad word about him and always stood out for me on every Derry team he played in. Wish him all the best in the future.