Advantage Donegal – Mattie Donnelly believes everything is stacked in favour of Jim McGuinness and his men ahead of Sunday’s Ulster SFC semi-final.
Bruised and wearied Tyrone bodies have little time for recovery before heading to Celtic Park, scene of a Tir Chonaill masterclass in the dismantling of champions Derry.
With a day less to prepare, and the exertions of an extra-time epic draining energy levels, the Red Hands face a colossal challenge.
“Advantage Donegal in that regard. They will be feeling good about themselves, and with the extra 24 hours recovery, so advantage them,” said Donnelly.
“But we train hard enough, we have a good pre-season over us and we train to deal with things like that, so we’ll not complain.
“But we’ll have to turn it around and get prepared pretty quickly.”
Donnelly, a towering figure in the narrow victory over Cavan at Kingspan Breffni, accepted that Tyrone were nowhere near the level they need to be at to take out a Donegal team that ticked all the boxes in terms of performance and tactics in their dismissal of the Oak Leafers.
“We’re relieved, but not very happy, to be honest with how we did, individually or as a collective.
“So we have a lot to work on, it’s just relief, and it’s a good thing to get through it and learn with the win.
“Everyone who watched (the Donegal v Derry game) will know that if we perform like that, then we may as well not show up next week, so we have a lot of work to do.”
But he’s more than happy to place his faith in the young Hands who have stepped up this year.
Six players made their first championship starts on Sunday, with three debutants coming off the bench, all doing a job for a team short on experience and struggling to ease an injury crisis.
“I know you bide your time and all that, but them boys have had to step up for us, and they’re proven winners.
“They’ve done it at every single level, so why would they not do it at this level?
“They have good breeding, they have good stuff in them, and we have good stuff coming in Tyrone behind them too.
“We needed them, they’re brave, they have plenty of courage and that’s a good sign for the future.”
Donnelly’s performance last weekend was a personal triumph, given that he has had little game time since his return from a serious knee injury.
An imposing presence at the heart of the defence, the Trillick man, now in his 15th championship season, held his team’s challenge together at the game’s most critical moments.
“It’s probably nine months since I got hurt. Getting back is not the hard thing, it’s getting back and being able to contribute to a high level.
“Again it’s hard to know where I’m at. Obviously today was going to be a big test, I was very nervous about it going into it, given that I hadn’t played a game in nine months.
“But this week I’m going to have to get the sores flushed out of the body pretty quick, because I’m going to have to go up another level again, and that’s going to be another challenge.
“I didn’t know if I would have 70 (minutes) in me, and then as luck would have it, you have extra-time, but look, you find a way.
“A lot of boys were running on empty at the end, but you train hard and you train for situations like this, so it is what it is.”
A contest shaped by many defining moments turned in a chaotic spell when Tyrone were a man down midway through the second half.
A black card removed full-back Paudie Hampsey from the action, and Cavan seized the opportunity with two goals in the space of three minutes, going from eight points behind to draw level.
“The black card, we didn’t deal well with it. Paudie Hampsey is a big player, a steadying influence at the centre of our defence.
“We didn’t replace that and we didn’t deal with that momentum. We looked very vulnerable when he went off the pitch, and once they hit us for those two goals….momentum is a hard thing to fight against when you have that much momentum going against you.
“Young team, we’re learning, but I’d say it’s a good thing just to get through it.”
