Derry were victims of Donegal's refreshingly positive approach to this season's league and not, as some members of the Derry management team claimed, of a "biased performance" by referee Pat McEneaney at Ballybofey yesterday.
A Derry appeal for a penalty was turned down in the closing minute, but claiming that the referee was to blame for Derry's defeat was an excuse as feeble as the depleted Derry team's efforts on the day. Derry player Anthony Tohill was much closer to the truth when he said: "Donegal were hungrier, fitter, keener and faster than we were." Derry "are now looking at Division Two football next year as a result of losing three points in our first two games," Tohill added. They could manage only a draw with Westmeath in their first outing.
Derry don't appear to be well equipped in terms of reserve strength either. Yesterday they were depleted, with only seven of their Ulster final team in action, but the replacements fell far short of making up the difference.
The story is very different for Donegal. "We are working off a 32strong panel at this stage and I am satisfied that our approach is right. I could not ask for more," said Bonner. Donegal, who worked out on the back pitch for a half an hour before the game, shot some really bad wides during the first half, even though all their forwards except hard grafter Adrian Sweeney had scored by the 21st minute.
Tohill's first clean overhead catch did not come until four minutes later. The big Swatragh man was somewhat outfoxed by Noel Hegarty, who switched with Martin McColl at the start. Tohill's performance certainly suffered in comparison with that of Donegal's Jim McGuiness, who was the instigator of most of his team's attacks in the first half as Bonner's men raced into a 0-10 to 0-4 lead in 27 minutes. In the second half McGuinness rounded off a highlyinfluential display with two brilliant goals.
Tohill, though, sometimes threatened to rekindle Derry spirits, not least when he provided full forward Ronan Rocks with an inch-perfect pass in a goal-scoring position a couple of minutes from half-time. Rocks took his chance well to leave Derry trailing by only three points, 0-10 to 1-4, at the break.
Rocks and midfielder Gary Doyle failed miserably to get Derry closer as the team staged a resurgence during the opening minutes of the second half. Derry were so well policed and closed down by alert Donegal defenders that they did not register their first score of the second half until the 28th minute, a Michael Gribben point. By then, Tony Boyle's reliable right foot and the prolific McGuinness had pushed Donegal's advantage to eight points, 1-12 to 1-4.
That first McGuinness goal was needed to further demoralise a threatening, if score-shy Derry. Substitute Gavin Diamond had highlighted the team's shortcomings on the day by sending a close-in free wide.
McGuinness's second goal left the scores at 2-12 to 1-5 after 19 minutes of the half. As with the first goal he got inside the Derry defence, and Hegarty again supplied the initial pass, but the first shot was blocked down. Brendan Devenny gathered and gave McGuinness a second chance which the slim six-footer put away.
McGuinness was one of a number of players fouled quite savagely in an sometimes tempestuous match, but he shrugged off all the incidents. "It was a competitive match, what you would expect between Donegal and Derry, but it wasn't really dirty," he said.
A bad foul on Donegal goalkeeper Paul Callaghan near the end - which warranted the eighth booking of the game by referee McEneaney, was unusual only because it was not committed off the ball.
