Donegal may have to give best to better balanced Armagh

SIX days ago Tyrone played their part in ensuring a first ever all-Ulster pairing in the Bank of Ireland football championship final.

Donegal, too, have helped create history by winning their way through to the semi-final meeting with Armagh and, tomorrow at Croke Park, they present the All-Ireland champions with their biggest test of 2003.

Under Brian McEniff's inspired leadership, Donegal won their only All-Ireland in 1992. It also marked their last provincial title success.

Given that he has had such a strong personal identification with Donegal teams as both player and coach, it's entirely appropriate that he should be at the helm again in this breakthrough year.

It has been well chronicled how he took over as manager when nobody else was interested in the position. The lateness of his arrival meant that training programmes were behind schedule. They endured a miserable NFL campaign and embarrassment at the hands of Fermanagh in the Ulster championship followed soon after. However their delayed training time scale began to work in their favour with the arrival of summer.

That was a point McEniff emphasised in between their drawn quarter-final with Galway and the replay a week later.

The Donegal boss stressed his side were, 'fitter and fresher' than most remaining in the championship and that it could mean the difference in the second game. It did, as a jaded Galway tired in the latter stages at Castlebar.

Armagh by comparison stormed through the league, winning their opening four rounds, reaching the semi-final, which they lost to Laois.

Within weeks Kernan's side crashed to Monaghan in their opening championship game. However the Gods smiled on Armagh as they benefited from favourable draws in the earlier rounds of the qualifier competition against Waterford and Antrim before they came up against Dublin in the third round in Croke Park.

Their form prior to that game was uninspiring, especially when recording a three-point win over their northern neighbours. Against Dublin, they were poor in the first half, yet staged a marvellous recovery which was aided by a combination of weak play from the Dubs and a much-criticised decision to replace centre-back Johnny Magee with the replacement goalkeeper, after Stephen Cluxton had been sent off.

Armagh were close to their best in their two-point win over Laois in the quarter-final while Donegal maintained their remarkable improvement in defeating the Connacht champions.

While Donegal will respect the champions, but they certainly won't fear them. That's the beauty of the Ulster championship and while it's a different levelstage, the approach will be the same.

Armagh have been using Tony McEntee in the role of a sweeper centre-back, a ploy which worked brilliantly against Dublin. Their physical power is awesome and is used very effectively to win possession in tackles. Arguably their biggest strength is their forward power, best exemplified in the quality of Steven McDonnell's play, but also underlined by the skill of Diarmuid Marsden and Oisin McConville.

Coincidentally, Adrian Sweeney and Brendan Devenney have been hitting the headlines in the Donegal attack, along with as is Christy Toye with through his huge work rate. Once more John Gildea is proving an inspiration around midfield.

I don't believe Armagh are justified favourites, as Donegal appear capable of putting up an even stronger challenge than Laois.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see them advancing, but Armagh look the better balanced team and their experience looks likely to get them through. Winning the final, however, would be an entirely different matter!