Declan Bonner: 'That’s the poorest performance I’ve had in three years'

Donegal manager Declan Bonner. Picture: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Declan Bonner said that Donegal’s second half was "the poorest" he’s witnessed in the three years since getting back in the saddle as senior manager.

Donegal couldn’t even claim they were caught by Mickey Graham’s side; they were simply beaten by the better team on the day. Cavan ran out 1-13 to 0-12 winners with Conor Madden’s goal giving the Breffni County a 40th Ulster crown; only their second since 1969.

“That’s the poorest performance I’ve had since I came back three years ago in terms of Championship football,” Bonner, who also managed Donegal from 1998 to 2000, said at the Athletic Grounds.

Cavan made the early running before Donegal managed to finish the half strongly, to go in 0-9 to 0-7 in front at the break, although a black card picked up by Killian Brady had provided something of a false economy.

In their run to the final, Cavan had showed the powers of recovery against Monaghan, Antrim, and Down, and managed to keep Donegal to just three second half points.

“Cavan, in their matches to date, have conceded very little in their second halves and three points from us wasn’t good enough,” Bonner added. “You won’t win Ulster Championships kicking three points in the second half.

“Over the whole 70 minutes Cavan looked like the hungrier side. We had a purple patch, when we kicked five on the trot when Cavan had a man black-carded. We didn’t kick on. Cavan stayed in the game and we knew they would.”

Last July, the seams of St Tiernach’s Park burst in celebration to salute Bonner’s team’s back-to-back success and the scene at an eerie Armagh, hosting the first final not in Clones since 1971, couldn’t have been more different on a chilly November evening.

Donegal had blazed a trail to their ninth provincial final in 10 years, slogging out an attritional win against Tyrone before hammering Armagh.

Now, though, it counts for nothing as there are just four teams left in the race for Sam Maguire and Donegal, for the third season in a row, ended up the fifth last team in the Championship.

“It’s difficult to think of any positives,” Bonner added. “In any finals, in Championship football, when you create your chances you have to take those chances. The goal we gave away was disappointing. It’s a performance we didn’t see coming.”