DONEGAL MANAGER RORY GALLAGHER says critics of his team’s style last week against Dublin in Croke Park neglected to mention their high-scoring start to the Allianz Football League.
Donegal have scored only three points fewer than Dublin, the reigning All-Ireland champions who are on course to win a fourth League title in a row.
Donegal have scored 7-75 with Dublin posting 7-78 so far.
Donegal were beaten 1-10 to 0-7 on Saturday night at Croke Park in a game that saw Donegal’s defensive set-up under the microscope again.
“The way we set out, the game was always going to be a low-scoring one,” Gallagher said.
“We were aware of that, but people haven’t mentioned Eoin McHugh’s goal chance in the first half. Fair play to Michael Savage, he made a great save.
“We were 3-1 down, but then we went 6-5 up and we’d be disappointed not to have scored more in the second half.”
Donegal lost their captain, Michael Murphy, to a second yellow card 20 minutes from the end and scored just once thereafter with Philly McMahon’s goal in the 65th minute taking Dublin out of reach.
Donegal scored 3-15 against Down, posted 2-14 in the win over Cork and put 1-14 past Mayo. After a low-scoring 1-8 against Kerry, Donegal kicked 17 points in the loss to Roscommon in Letterkenny.
Gallagher said: “We have gone out and played a very attacking game. We have played and tried different set-ups. We’ve done something different and it isn’t to everyone’s liking.
“But, look, we did hope to pick off a goal chance or two and we did that. People are entitled to their opinion, but we’ll not get too bogged down by opinion.”
Murphy’s sending off took a considerable edge off Donegal.
Gallagher said: “Michael brings huge energy to us, with and without the ball. We ran out of steam without him. There’s no doubt that every opposition is happy to see him going off.
“He was very unlucky in both yellow cards on Saturday, but there’s no way the first one was a booking.”
Tags: