McDonnell bemoans missed chance
It had been a big plus, he said, to observe that the All-Ireland champions were ‘distinctly uncomfortable’ after a Ronan Clarke goal had revived his team’s hopes of victory, but they could not ultimately be satisfied with the outcome.
“We controlled that game for the first 20 minutes, (but) we failed to take the scoring opportunities that had arisen for us and we failed to be more ruthless in front of goal in that period. Tyrone got a goal against the run of play and ultimately that was the score that separated the sides.’’
McDonnell praised his players for having the composure to come back strongly, but he conceded that ‘heads did drop’ after they fell behind against the All-Ireland champions.
“We got to a point in the second half when we could quite easily have capitulated, ‘packed up’ and said let Tyrone charge across the finish line.
“The lads found resolve deep within them, they upped their workload and started to play a more simple game, a more direct game and a threatening game. And, they forced it into a competitive situation again.’’ Ultimately, he agreed that Tyrone’s greater experience had been the deciding factor.
“They kept their ball well. We could have done better. We could have been more mature in front of goals and we could have created more opportunities. I suppose, if that is how you define maturity, then indeed we lacked that (experience).’’
McDonnell has ‘every confidence’ that his team will be competitive in the qualifier competition, while pointing out that progress for any team depends on a number of factors – primarily how the draw works out.
“There are going to be lot of strong teams out there and I suppose we’re all sitting with our fingers crossed hoping the draw is kind for us to get us up and running. We’re in the back door, that’s where we find ourselves. That’s what we have to deal with.’’
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