Doherty says Donegal picture looking a lot brighter now

CHAMPIONSHIP games between Cork and Donegal are rare commodities, and when it came to their last meeting in 2006, John Joe Doherty was far from Croke Park when battle commenced.

The current Donegal boss was situated behind enemy lines as a pre-planned family holiday meant he watched the game unfold on television in West Cork, as his county suffered an agonising one-point defeat.

“It was strange actually watching the game in Cork,” recalls Doherty. “It was a tough defeat for Donegal to take after being in control early on and I thought it was one that got away.

“The fortunes of both teams have changes considerably since then. I know that Cork would be happy with their progress since and how they’ve improved is the yardstick for us.”

Thoughts of featuring at this business end of the All-Ireland championship were far from Doherty’s mind in early June. On a black day for Donegal football, Antrim strode into Ballybofey and departed with the spoils in their Ulster quarter-final. That defeat sparked a flood of negativity around the county, but Doherty never believed matters were as bad as portrayed in certain quarters.

“Everything looked very dark when we played Antrim. But I never really thought it was that bad myself. A lot of teams only find their feet at this stage of the year.

“Once the big teams came along, I was confident that we’d rise to challenge. The key was to get the guys to keep believing. We stressed that come championship we’d be a different team.

“It’s taken longer than we would have hoped but we’ve got that different level of intensity. Lads are enjoying their football and that can be seen in the close games we’ve managed to win.

“It’s encouraging that we’ve got over that barrier.”

Doherty believes the excellent form of key players has been central to their improvements.

“You look at Karl Lacey in defence and he’s playing great in the last few games. He had the freshen up he needed by going away at the start of the year, and is back better than ever. Neil McGee and Barry Dunnion are playing strongly as well, while Michael Murphy has been exceptional for a 19 year-old. We can’t expect too much from him because he’s so young, but he’s really delivering.”

The improved performances have led to a brighter football atmosphere around the county and Doherty was heartened by the support for his charges against Galway on Saturday.

“It was great to see all that support. The match wasn’t too far down the road in Sligo so that obviously helped. We had great support in Ballybofey the previous week as well so the team are very appreciative of that.

“It can help in a lot in tight matches. Hopefully, we can take it another step forward now and give them something to shout about in Croke Park.”