DONEGAL U21 manager Declan Bonner has called on the Tir Chonaill faithful to rally around the county flag and support “the future of Donegal football” in tomorrow’s All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin.
Bonner is well aware of the challenge facing his side because counties have met on an annual basis since he took over as U16 manager and the Kingspan Breffni Park clash is the latest instalment in an enduring rivalry at underage level that includes a memorable tussle in the 2014 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship semi-final.
Donegal came out on top by a single point – 1-12 to 1-11 – and the side that lined out that day included several of the young talents that romped to a first Ulster title since 2010 when the Tir Chonaill youngsters saw off Derry at Armagh’s Athletic Grounds last Monday night.
Stephen McBrearty (0-4) and Lorcan Connor (0-3) were among the scorers for the Tir Chonaill outfit back in 2014 while the likes of Jamie Brennan, Michael, Carroll and Tony McClenaghan all starred in a campaign that ended with a four-point loss to Kerry in the All-Ireland final.
Donegal may get a chance to set the record straight against the Kingdom in the final because Kerry, who have brought through the likes of Brian O’Beaglaoich, Killian Spillane and Andrew Barry from the class of 2014, face Galway in the second All-Ireland semi-final in Ennis.
To meet them again Donegal have to get past Dessie Farrell’s Dubs who walloped Westmeath, Longford and Offaly to win Leinster scoring 6-38 while conceding 0-23 in the process. Donegal won a challenge game against Dublin side a few weeks ago, but manager Bonner is reading nothing into that result.
“We won it by a couple of points but they had a number of players missing,” he said, however he will know that any game with Dublin is a competitive one.
The win over Derry on Monday night was comfortable in the end, but the young Oak Leafers matched Donegal for most of the first half before Brennan’s run set up Connor for the first of three well-taken team goals. After it the Tir Chonaill side never looked back.
“We have a good squad of players there,” said Bonner.
“Any player is fit to come in and play to the system that we have – they know exactly the system that we play and the role they have to play.
“That didn’t happen over night, that took a period of time to get there. Are we the finished article? No, we wouldn’t have been happy with a lot of stuff out there and we know we’ve room for improvement.
“We’ll have to improve for Saturday against Dublin.”
Bonner’s side plays as a unit, dropping back to create a spider’s web in their own defence and then break with pace, power and panache when they win the ball. He won’t have the injured Ciaran Gillespie available tomorrow but is optimistic that the rest of his panel will be fit to face the Dubs.
“I felt we controlled the game and it was important to start the second half well and we did that,” he said of Monday night’s win.
“We bossed the game after that and we created some great opportunities.
“We had great support and some of them weren’t home until one or two o’clock in the morning.
“That support is absolutely vital and that’s an edge that we can get over Dublin, lets travel again, lets travel in huge numbers to Breffni Park next Saturday to support these guys because these guys are the future of Donegal football and they’re putting in a huge, huge effort.”
