Carr happy to see Donegal’s fight

HEART and character are traits Donegal manager Paddy Carr feels his side must take into Saturday’s “humdinger” with Armagh as the heat rises at the bottom of Division One.

After missing a host of chances in the opening 32 minutes of the second half, Donegal hung on to kick three late points that could’ve sent Galway down the road empty handed last weekend.

In the end, Donegal had to settle for a point that may still prove vital over the next month as the league heads for a conclusion.

“We could’ve been out the gate very handy…we could’ve won it by eight to ten points really if we had converted our chances,” an upbeat Carr said after Sunday’s draw.

With many on the outside the camp wondering of the mood in the Donegal dressing room, the boss said it “couldn’t be better” with the honesty he was glad the fans got to see from his charges.

Carr was content in the learnings after a collapse against Monaghan and called for a “massive intense work rate” which he felt was evident. It was a foundation needing built on as players and managers get to know one another after a fresh start.

“Things you’re always hoping are there in abundance at this level of football…that is heart and character,” Carr added.

“You can’t get that out if it’s not in them. I’d like to think that the GAA people of Donegal saw it today. It’s there in abundance with them.”

Looking ahead to Saturday, Carr was asked about Ryan McHugh and Ciaran Thompson who are still following a programme on their way back from injury with medical advice being taken on board.

“You don’t want to be putting them into a situation where the possibility of a reoccurrence of injury. It is an enormous act of patience. The two guys you mentioned will all add to the equation,” he said.

“We dominated that game without scoring and we’ll kick on from here. We’ll go into the lions’ den down below in Armagh on Saturday and I am sure that will be a humdinger.”

Carr felt their draw with Galway offered “a bit of a springboard” and his side would have to keep looking forward with every point valuable to sustain their spot in the top flight.

“If you looked at Armagh, you can see the kind of support they get and have that momentum coming from last year. We wouldn’t have that just yet.

“There was a great Donegal crowd there today and they saw that there was heart and particularly when things are not going right, to sustain the fight and not drop the heads.

“That is something pleased out of this.”