Donegal manager Jim McGuinness and Tyrone joint-manager Brian Dooher after the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1 match at MacCumhaill Park in Ballybofey, Donegal. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
DONEGAL manager Jim McGuinness has admitted it would be have been an anti-climax had the newly crowned Ulster champions not beaten Tyrone in the first round Sam Maguire qualifier in Ballybofey last night.
“Coming in tonight as Ulster champions having played Derry and Tyrone and then Armagh in an final and then you are back playing an Ulster team I suppose if we had lost the game it would have been a wee bit of an anti-climax after winning the provincial championship.
“Obviously the added pressure of your own home fans in your own home stadium. We are just delighted to get over the line, two points on the board, happy with the performance and getting ready as quickly as we can for Cork next weekend,” said McGuinness who conducted the post-match press conference in the Donegal’s GAA training centre in Convoy.
The squad were whisked there by coach from Ballybofey in order to begin their post-match recovery which consisted of ice baths and ice cream.
Tyrone matched the home side almost score for score in the first half but with a stiff breeze on their backs in the second period Donegal hit 11 points with Tyrone only managing five to run out very convincing winners
“We probably scored equally in both halves, the test was tougher in the first half definitely. We knew Tyrone would come very hard at us and that was the case.
“I thought they played exceptionally well in the first half and asked a lot of questions of us. I thought the game was fairly relentless, there was a real good energy and intensity to it and it was like of boxing match or a game of basketball whatever way you want to phrase it.
“There was a lot of energy and intensity in the game and both teams were going for it so really it was no surprise that it ended up 10-9 at half time.
“There was a tricky enough wind there as well. We just felt at half time going in a point up and the breeze at our back that maybe we needed to keep doing what we were doing and not buy into the concept of the wind too much.
“Just keep doing the good work we had done in the first half and use the breeze to benefit us in the final stages of an attack. I am really happy that everybody is away home happy. Obviously we are back here (in the training centre in Convoy) right away to start the recovery because the turn around is very sharp and on top of that we have a very long travel next weekend,” explained the Donegal boss.
