Ulster championsip 1st... Donegal v Down

[done and dusted]

Don't fancy our chances here even though we're at home!!!!

[J70]

A lot riding on midfield, especially if Dan Gordon is fit and playing well. How many men have we tried alongside Neil Gallagher now over the past five years? If we can get somewhere close to breaking even (big if, no Roper or Ciaran Bonner either to gather breaks and run at the backs) and the forwards are shooting reasonably well, I'd give us a decent chance. Hopefully Toye and Kavanagh will be fully fit and playing well by that time. A lot has to go right though. Eighteen wides, as against Antrim last year, won't cut it.

Team along the lines of...

Durkan/Boyle
McGlynn
McGee
Lacey
Maguire
Cassidy
Dunnion
N. Gallagher
Toye
Kavanagh
Dunne
McLoone
McFadden
Murphy
Walsh

The only sure starters, if fit, are Lacey, Neil McGee, Cassidy, Dunnion, Gallagher, Toye, Kavanagh, McFadden, Murphy and probably McGlynn and Walsh. I'd imagine McLoone should be fairly certain after his U-21 campaign. Will any of the other U-21s be brought into the squad?

[done and dusted]

would like to see kavanagh in midfield instead of  Gallagher, I know Gallagher wins a lot of ball but we need some who can give quick ball into the forwards, Gallagher  just doesn't give us that option. I would prefer Boyle in goals, durkan prone to make mistakes. 

[mattockranger]

Dan Gordon played full back today against our lads in A pitch opening and looked fit and very sharp there.

[Highlander3]

Hi Mattockranger, did anyone else play well for Down, and who won the game?

[mattockranger]

Down won by 6......2-18 to 1-15 and really it could have been more

two clarkes and benny didn't play

.....comiskey and maginn got the goals early in the first half
comiskey was excellent, Aidan carr started in the corner and came off injured early on
conor poland was brillant in linking the play upon the forty and doran at RHF was driving up the field very well
peter fitzpatrick was solid in the middle of the field an unusual but very high leap for a ball!

Thats all really louth wasn't much of a test to be far but you guys look to have good panel and a few nice options up front...oh mutagh and hughes came on in 2nd half and looked good!

[ross4life]

what Date is this match on & didn't Donegal lose to Antrim in there 1st match last year?

[mournerambler]

Game is in Ballybofey on 30th May & I do believe Antrim beat Donegal last year at the same venue if i'm not mistaken

[Mid Down Gael]

Down won by 6......2-18 to 1-15 and really it could have been more

two clarkes and benny didn't play

.....comiskey and maginn got the goals early in the first half
comiskey was excellent, Aidan carr started in the corner and came off injured early on
conor poland was brillant in linking the play upon the forty and doran at RHF was driving up the field very well
peter fitzpatrick was solid in the middle of the field an unusual but very high leap for a ball!

Thats all really louth wasn't much of a test to be far but you guys look to have good panel and a few nice options up front...oh mutagh and hughes came on in 2nd half and looked good!

It was Mark Poland on the 40.

[drici]

Monaghan, McGee and Toye return for the Championship

By Tom Comack


Donegal's championship preparations got a shot in the arm this week with the return to the county squad of Barry Monaghan, Eamonn McGee and Christy Toye.


Both Monaghan and McGee trained with the squad on Monday night in Castlefin while Toye is due to return to training tonight (Thursday). Also called up to the squad having been given a number of runs before during Brian McIver's term is Toye's St Michael's club colleague, Martin McElhinney.

Experienced defender Monaghan was a member of the team for much of the league and just opted to take a break a couple of weeks ago to recharge the batteries and shake off the effects of a virus that ruled him out of much of the Dr. McKenna Cup campaign.

McGee, who has been ever present in the starting 15 in recent seasons, played for London in Division Four of the Allianz National League having transferred to Tir Chonaill Gaels.

However, he returned home in recent weeks and had resumed with Gaoth Dobhair at the weekend in their against Four Masters in Donegal Town and is available once again to play for Donegal.

Toye picked up a straight red card in a club game at the weekend and only recently returned to club action after a lengthy lay off with an achilles injury suffered last July playing for Donegal against Clare in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

Likewise, his club colleague McElhinney spent much of the last 12 month in rehab following treatment on a groin injury. He only returned to action earlier in the year in the latter stages of St. Michael's all conquering U-21 championship run.

"It is good to have the boys back. They are all quality players and they do strengthen our options. Barry (Monaghan) took a short break to do a bit of work on his own and recharge the battery while Eamonn (McGee) is back from London and playing with Gaoth Dobhair again. I watched him at the weekend in the league against Four Masters and he played very well and is most definitely and option," said Doherty.

"As for Christy (Toye), he was always in our plans once he recovered and got a few games with the club. Unfortunately he got a red card at the weekend and is going to miss a number of games but he is in good shape and seems to have a good appetite for the game again while Martin (McElhinney) is a good a footballer and has been playing well for St. Michael's since his return."

Doherty also has made no secret that he plans to draft in a number of the U-21s into the squad but has insisted this week that he will not be doing anything on that front until after Saturday week's All-Ireland final with Dublin and as a consequence will not be finalising his championship panel until after the U-21 final.

"The U-21s have done very well and have given football in the county a big lift. A number of the lads are in my plans but I don't think it would be fair to call them up at this stage.

[Boozehell]

It doesn't matter how Donegal bring back.  Could they bring back the team that won the All Ireland and they still would get hammered come the 30TH May.

[5 Sams]

Don't fancy our chances here even though we're at home!!!!

I thought all the cute hoors were in the bottom left hand corner of the island...I see there's a few in the top left hand corner as well.....

[done and dusted]

Did everyone really think that was the real donegal playing against armagh a few weeks ago, donegal to surprise a few this year i think if we sort midfield out!!

[J70]

Did everyone really think that was the real donegal playing against armagh a few weeks ago, donegal to surprise a few this year i think if we sort midfield out!!

We've been trying to sort our midfield out since John Gildea and Jim McGuinness retired!

I'm not expecting much from the side this season and would consider it a great success if we made the 1/4 finals again! That said, we've been listening to hype about Down before the start of the season for the past four or five years! In 2006, we were gravely warned by some of the Down ones on the board that we might as well not turn up in Ballybofey, although, to be fair, I wasn't too optimistic myself, with McFadden and Devenney missing that summer and a new, inexperienced full-forward line of Michael Doherty and Conal Dunne. Rory Kavanagh took his chance though and inspired us to unexpected wins over Down AND Derry! Not saying we're going to have as good a year this year or that we're even going to beat them, but I'll believe the hype about Down when it happens.

[drici]

I'm not expecting much from the side this season and would consider it a great success if we made the 1/4 finals again!

Donegal v Down is a Quarter Final game.
Derry play Armagh in the Preliminary Round this year.