'It's a win, but we know we're not the finished article' - Minor boss Barry Ward

Donegal minor manager Barry Ward admitted that his side is far from the finished article following his side’s 2-9 to 0-5 point win over Fermanagh last night in MacCumhaill Park. 

Despite winning by 10 points in Ballybofey, the inter-county boss and former Aodh Ruadh coach did not cut the figure of an overly satisfied manager, stating that they have a lot to work on going forward.  

With the scoreline standing at three points apiece at the break, it took two second-half goals to drive Donegal to their large victory over an Erne side that seemed to die away in the second period of the match.  

“It’s a win, that’s the main thing first and foremost,” said Ward. “It was a difficult first half with Fermanagh putting 15 men behind the ball, they were happy to sit back and play like that, it was something we haven’t encountered yet this season, so that was something we had to adapt too and regroup at half-time to break down their style. 

“We came out with far more energy in the second half, and that showed on the scoreboard. The second goal was probably a bit fortunate, but we only conceded two points in the second half, so you have to be happy with that. That was probably our biggest positive.” 

The former Donegal player acknowledged that Fermanagh controlled large amounts of the first half, and it forced his management team to gather the team in the dressing room at the break and address the issues that needed mending. 

“The game was definitely played on Fermanagh’s terms in the first half, which was upsetting,” said Ward. “They wanted to keep the game low scoring, and we didn’t adapt well to that at all, so we needed half-time to settle things down. 

“It was about focusing on making the right decision and getting that final pass to the players inside, but look, it’s our first competitive game and we know we have a lot to work on. We know we’re not the finished article yet. 

“We spoke about bringing the energy that we had at training into this match, that’s what we wanted to see. Half-time was just about refocusing and going at the opposition at speed and in straight lines which we weren’t doing, we saw that then in the second half, particularly with Turlough Carr and Eoghan Gallagher, that’s what got us the two goals.” 

However, regardless of the performance which will soon be forgotten about in the long run, the minors now turn their attention to their remaining matches in the league, knowing that they have two points already in the bag, which is something they can take a small bit of comfort from. 

“Overall, we’re happy with the result. I think the fact we were able to limit Fermanagh’s scoring, while also kicking 2-9, that’s very positive, but we know going forward we’re going to have to address a few issues.”