Donegal go on the offensive

DONEGAL County Board have lashed out at critics of their negative football after taking their first Ulster title since 1992 and reaching an All-Ireland semi-final.

County secretary Aodh Mairtín Ó Fearaigh slammed “so-called pundits” who said the Ulster champions where playing “Shiite football” in a hard-hitting report to county convention in Ballybofey on December 14.

Ó Fearaigh branded the sustained criticism as “harsh and indeed hateful and indeed gave no credit to the huge effort put in by the team and the management since the start of the year.

“Players do not play to entertain, they are not trained or coached to entertain, they play to win games.

“Those cribbing about a lack of entertaining football failed to accept one basic fact of GAA life — the Donegal players are all amateurs.”

“Donegal senior football team is not in the business of entertainment. And they should make no apology to anyone for their efforts which the county as a whole are proud of.

“Jim McGuinness in his first year in charge, deserves great credit for bringing a team from the abyss to within a kick of a ball of an All-Ireland final” he says.

Elsewhere Ó Fearaigh accused some club delegates of turning county board meetings into a farce.

“It’s becoming a total talking shop and very few club delegates actually perform the task that is asked of them and that is to report back on important matters to their clubs.”

Meanwhile Meath’s Ballivor (Meath) beat Louth’s St Fechin’s 1-15 to 1-8 after extra time to claim the Leinster Club JFC crown.

A Richie Sherlock goal at the start of extra time gave them the lead for the first time and they added five points to cruise home.