Devlin pleased with his own display if not the outcome

LAST Sunday’s man of the match Niall Devlin confessed that he had bitter-sweet emotions as he left Tuam Stadium following the  draw with Galway, which only slightly enhanced Tyrone’s survival hopes in Division One.

The Coalisland defender turned in a tremendous man marking job on the Tribe’s attacking talisman Shane Walsh, who managed just one point from open play across the contest.

However it was a two point free converted by Walsh which restored parity with the very last kick and leaves the Red Hands hanging on precariously to their top flight status with just two matches remaining.

Devlin admitted that it was tough to see victory snatched from their grasp for the second weekend running, with Kerry having spoiled the party in Pomeroy the week before.

“ We played some great stuff but things didn’t go our way in the last few minutes and we allowed Galway back into it. So we were happy enough with our performance but it was just annoying not to come away with the two points.

“ I thought our control in the first 15 minutes was really good. We moved the ball well and took the right shots. I thought we handled them really well especially playing against the breeze. The two pointers helped to keep them in it at stages. But we kept coming back with an answer to everyone of them.

“ We had a couple of really good chances and it is good that we are getting them. We worked the ball well into good scoring positions. On another day they could have been taken.”

Devlin accepted that Tyrone must learn how to put teams away when in the ascendancy, though adding that the calibre of opposition they were facing meant this was easier said than done at times.

“ I thought we looked like pulling away but then they got a penalty too and that was a blow to us. But those sort of things happen. We reacted well to it too in fairness. Mattie (Donnelly) struck over a two pointer and I thought that was it but in today’s game you just can’t afford to switch off.

“ As things stand it has all tightened up a bit (the table) so we now have two massive games and in the next fortnight we will look to get a lot of work done preparing.”

As for his own individual display in being handed the task of nullifying the threat of Walsh, Devlin was happy enough with how it went.

“ He’s a lethal player and you had to have your eyes on him at all times. His turn of pace is frightening and he can turn onto right or left foot to shoot.

“ I was really glad to get handed that job. On another day it could have been different but it went okay overall.”

Meanwhile Donegal manager Jim McGuinness says he will do what is best for his group going forward and will not be thinking about trying to progress through to the League Final when they tackle Tyrone in Letterkenny next week.

McGuinness led his team to a fourth win from five games in the top flight when they finished strongly to defeat Derry last Sunday

That leaves them in second position in Division One on eight points along with Galway.

Donegal are assured of their spot in Division One next year and with Tyrone (home) and Mayo (away) to come, one more win will likely be enough to send them through to the final. The Division One final is pencilled in for March 31, just seven days before Donegal face Derry in the Ulster Championship Preliminary Round.

“I do feel that everyone who is in Division One wants to be in Division One and they are fighting tooth and nail to stay there,” said McGuinness after Sunday’s match.

“But I do also believe that 50% of the cohort don’t really want to be in a League Final. I think that does diminish the competition.

“We now will not be thinking about the League Final. We are thinking about what’s right for us.

“If that means being in a League Final, then that means being in a League Final, and that will be taken into consideration when we are making those decisions but it won’t be us saying we need to be there and we want to be there.”

“Obviously like what happened today, you run the risk of going to Round 7, then the League Final and then Derry in Ballybofey.

“For me, we played Dublin (in the Division 1 final) in 1993 and there wasn’t a seat left in Croke Park.

“There were 55,000 people there which was capacity at the time and I remember that and being part of it and it was a brilliant experience to run out in front of a such a big crowd.

“I think it is a bit disingenuous in many respects to create a format that doesn’t allow teams to go after it properly.

“And it will probably come back on me based on decisions that we make that we’re disrespecting the competition and taking things into disrepute but the reality for myself and every other manager, you have to do your best for your players.”