KEVIN MCSTAY SAID one of the things about playing Division 1 football with Roscommon was that he “dreamed about beating Donegal up in Donegal.”
And last night McStay would’ve slept contently in the knowledge that his side had managed just that, following an excellent performance in a 1-19 to 0-17 victory that added to victories on the road against Kerry and Cork.
Photo caption: Marty O’Reilly gets to grips with Roscommon’s Niall McInerney during Sunday’s Allianz League Division 1 fixture at O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny. Photo Evan Logan
With their travelling support enjoying these away days, whilst not getting the chance to play at Hyde Park in recent times, there might be one or two angling through the flight prices to New York, where Roscommon open their Connacht championship campaign.
The victory, in Letterkenny in front of over 7,000 people yesterday, showed different facets – different, but equally impressive.
“We played quite well and there’s no denying it,” McStay said afterwards. “We were dreaming about beating Donegal up in Donegal and now we’ve done it.
“Coming into the game and I’ll be dead on honest, we’d have been very realistic that we could have got a scotching today if we were a little bit off.
Few teams have cut Donegal apart like Roscommon did in the first 35 minutes to post a half-time advantage of five points – 0-11 to 0-6 – with even the most die-hardened of the home support admitting in the queues for tea their team was fortunate to be so close. Rory Gallagher admitted as much himself.
As well as their commanding lead, Roscommon had passed up on three goal chances, so Donegal’s involvement in the contest still had the full weight of their body pulling on the strength of their fingertips.
Roscommon stopped Donegal at source, whilst creating countless avenues for themselves courtesy of their deep-running.
Niall Daly was the pick on offer with three points, although he did miss one huge goal chance when he blazed high and wide when found on the gallop on 29 minutes by Conor Daly, who also saw a chance of goal come and go as Donegal Peter Boyle denied him.
Even beforehand, Cian Connolly also saw Boyle save and the Roscommon forward had to be content with a point from the rebound.
Ciaran Murtagh happily knocked over five frees and at the other end, Donegal managed just one first-half point from play, through Odhrán MacNiallais, who also missed the hosts’ only chance of goal when Geoffrey Claffey got behind his belter.
But if Roscommon were impressive in the first half when they owned the ball, in the second they deserved as many plaudits as they were forced – primarily due to Michael Murphy’s excellence – to play a different type of game.
It was backs to the wall stuff, but in a controlled and non-panicky fashion from the Westerners. Donegal did start to make inroads and even after MacNiallais was sent off for a second yellow card, managed to take their deficit down to two points, 0-15 to 0-13.
“We were under a lot of pressure we should not have been under coming towards the end of the game,” McStay added. “We’ve had the four games, we have two left now and they are two big championship games again for us.
“We’ll take them on their merits and very soon our eyes will start drifting to New York because we have to establish ourselves as a proper championship team too.
“We have not been good in the championship in the last few years and we need to address that. People have to take us serious in the championship.”
But a bit like a car with a puncture, Donegal managed to crawl another couple of hundred yards before they were ground to a halt. And Roscommon steered it home from there.
Roscommon, with Fintan Cregg their stand-out player, were always a handful on their forages upfield.
Then, with just over 10 minutes to play, the fatal blow was struck when Cathal Cregg pierced a blistering shot past Boyle at an angle to give a move – that saw Senan Kilbride play the final pass – the finish it deserved. Not only had Roscommon weathered the storm but they’d built a sandcastle in it.
“We got between the goal and the Donegal man and that was a big challenge we set ourselves last night,” said McStay. “We said we had to get between them, that’s where the bit of desire and work-rate has to come from.
“But if we do that Donegal could be more ordinary than you think they would be for this time of year. They never really got a run on us, I don’t think they did anyway. We played some decent football and it could have been more in fact.
“These things happen, we have a young team that just got a little bit excited when the big opportunities were put in front of them. That’s what today was all about, playing these big matches.
“Today was a great, old fashioned National League match in the park here with the match at the atmosphere. I loved it anyway. We just were very up for it and tore into it.”
For all the talk about McStay dreaming, he’s certainly a realist and his Roscommon team are now real players in the top flight.
“Today we started looking like a Division 1 team who deserves on merit to be here,” McStay added. “That’s my sense of it. This win – of the wins – is the best of them.
“Maybe i’m going to get a rude awakening soon or we’re going to be found out a bit? But I don’t think so.”
