McGuinness’ extra ingredients in key moments

By Michael McMullan

AS Saturday’s Ulster final ticked into the final seconds of extra-time, Jim McGuinness could only look on. His hands were tied. It was down to the players.

All his cards were on the table. After a glance at the clock, he fixed his eyes on Stephen McMenamin and Finnbarr Roarty as they weaved the ball out of an aggressive Armagh press.

For a third time in a 13-minute post-game interview, the Donegal boss rolls out the word trust.

“Big games will always teach you something,” he said, pointing to players who have lined out in up to 10 Ulster finals, all the way to Roarty’s first.

“Hopefully you can put that in the hard drive for moments like that when they do present themselves.

“From a coaching point of view, you’re trying to put a game plan in place but those moments are kind of uncoachable.

“Nobody in the stadium knew how Stephen or Finnbarr were going to react in that moment until it happened.

“I looked at the clock and I looked down the sideline. I did get a feeling this will be an iconic 20 seconds here.”

Keep ball and get hands on the Anglo Celt Cup or offer pass up possession and offer Armagh another shot at redemption.

Roarty and McMenamin kept their cool before Caolan McGonagle and Odhrán McFadden Ferry could get the ball across to a vacant wing and Dáire Ó Baoill. Space. A chance to breathe. Hooter time and the Gaoth Dobhair man lamped the ball into the Pat McGrane stand. Job done.

Donegal’s Ulster title can be traced all the way back to last summer in Croke Park and their defeat to Galway. Jim McGuinness did a head count. The panel wasn’t strong enough.

It was time to make a list and pull out his phone. First up was Michael Murphy. Leader. Legend. Baller.

He accepted the invite. Eoin McHugh, Eoghan McGettigan and Odhrán McFadden Ferry were coaxed back too. Finnbarr Roarty was now the age to play county football.

Niall O’Donnell and Stephen McMenamin spent more time on the bench than on the pitch during the league. On Saturday, they were massive.

O’Donnell appeared for extra time. McGuinness hailed his input in pulling their last two Ulster final wins from the fire.

Efficiency has been Donegal’s calling card. Until Saturday’s 69th minute. Aaron Doherty skied a shot. In extra-time Ciarán Thompson, Ryan McHugh and O’Donnell took their tally of wides to four in a crucial game-defining window.

The St Eunan’s man held his nerve to level matters going into half-time in extra time, off his right foot before winning the game with a second, this time off his left.

When Armagh led by a point and Shaun Patton had zero options. He went short to McFadden Ferry on the arc. A nervy moment.

“He was brave, he came from a deep position and he knew we needed hands on the ball in that moment,” McGuinness said of McFadden Ferry buying Donegal some valuable yards.

“The fellas that we had conversations with about coming back in to add to the group, they all played a big part,” he said of Saturday’s win, admitting to not fully fathoming the collective input of those stepping back into the bubble.

“There’ll be more days like this over the course of the summer and there’ll be other people that’ll have to step up.

“Eoin (McHugh) had been training really well. You could see there was a bit of spark back in him so we weren’t overly worried about firing him in even though he hasn’t played a lot.”

Check out this week’s review pod as we look at both of Saturday’s Ulster finals from Clones.