This Sunday Donegal play their first home game of the National Football League against Laois in Letterkenny and the county will be seeking their first win in Division 1 having lost 1-10 to 1-9 at the hands of Down last Saturday in Newry. Martin McElhinney’s goal 16 minutes into the second half looked to have swung things in the way of Tír Chonaill men but the home side managed to claw their way back with four unanswered scores. Down got off to the better start with a 1-3 to 1 point advantage early on.  Donegal came back to leave just a goal in it, 1-5 to 0-6 points at the break. The turning point seemed to come when second half sub McElhinney found himself in the right spot to turn in a great goal for Donegal. Down’s response was instant however as the mourne men rattled off four points on the bounce to lead by two. Dermot Molloy reduced the deficit to just a single point but he failed to level the game with the last kick of the game.

Donegal Manager Jim Mc Guinness gave his reaction to Oisin Kelly.
 

Tyrone 2-11 v 0-12 Kildare.
Tyrone made the perfect start to their 2012 NFL Division 2 campaign on Saturday night, beating fellow promotion favourites Kildare by five points in a game that exploded into life in the second half at Croke Park. Tyrone manager Mickey Harte may have given auditions to some new faces following a succession of retirements in the off-season, but it was two old hands, Stephen O’Neill and Owen Mulligan, who led the way for the Red Hands. They struggled badly in the first half and trailed by 0-6 to 0-3 at the break, but a far better second half performance helped the Ulster side to an unexpected but thoroughly deserved win. It was Peter Harte and Martin Penrose who scored the goals while O’Neill ended the game with 5 points.

Tyrone Manager Mickey Harte was pleased to get off to a winning start.
 

Derry1-11 v 1-15 Galway.
On Sunday Derry were undone by a young Galwayside who showed greater composure in the closing minutes to claim a four-point victory at Celtic Park. Having clawed their way back into the match the Oak Leafers trailed by only point with an hour gone and looked set to go on and claim a result. However, with Derry taking some wrong options the visitors kept their cool with late scores to secure the points.

Speaking with derrygaa.ie vice-captain Joe Diver was disappointed with the result.
 

Donegal Olympian Chloe Magee continued her good form as she won the Women’s Senior Singles crown at the Irish Nationals in Dublin on Sunday.  In the Final Chloe showed true class as she cruised to victory with a 21-10 21-9 win over Sinead Chambers. This was the 6th Consecutive National singles title win for Chloe. In the mixed doubles along with her brother Sam, the pair took a 5^th consecutive national title. The brother and sister duo took out the number 2 seeds – their brother Daniel Magee and Fiona Glennon, winning in straight sets 21-15, 21-14. Sam would also take the men’s doubles title with Ian MacBeth. In an exciting final against Tony Stephenson and Tony Murphy, Ireland’s number one ranked partnership controlled the match through the first set winning 21-15. In the second set it was point for point the whole way up to 20-20. The Donegal pair fought hard and took the title with a final set score of 22-20.

There was Letterkenny AC wins both at home and abroad over the weekend. Mark English made it a memorable night in New York on Saturday. Mark was competing at the New Balance Invitational Indoors over 800m and dominated from the start to win in 1:49.49 minutes. English who is still a junior is in the US as part of a DCU team who will also be competing in the prestigious Millrose Games this weekend.

Elsewhere, English’s clubmate Darren Mc Bearty won Gold at the Irish Universities Indoors in Nenagh on Saturday. McBearty was the winner in the 1500mts. At the same event Dan King set a new PB by finishing 2^nd in the 800mts. While in Sheffield at the City Challenge event Danny Mooney would also set a new PB in winning the 1500mts.

At the National Masters Cross Country in Roscommon Ciaran Doherty was crowned champion and  led Letterkenny to the national club title.  Doherty won his first national men’s master title in a time of 25:07 – finishing comfortably clear of his team mate, Pauric McKinney, 25:48 and Peter O’Sullivan of Craughwell A.C. The rest of the winning team was made up of Dr Brian Thursby in 12^th and Gary Crossan 13^th. Letterkenny won the team title with 29 points from Raheny Shamrock and North Belfast.

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness is grabbing the headlines this morning following his appearance at the 2012 Allianz Football League launch on Monday.

The Irish Examiner leads their sports coverage with a story on McGuinness’s refusal to rule out a return to the squad for Kevin Cassidy. Cassidy was dropped from the county’s panel for contributing to the book This Is Our Year in which he revealed the inside story of his side’s successful 2011 season.
“I wouldn’t close the door, but the bottom line is this here — our rules and our parameters were very well defined and what happened was so far over the line in relation to our group… that’s all I can say on it,” said McGuinness.

This is what the Donegal boss had to say when pressed on the issue by radio reporters.
 

The Irish Times leads with McGuinness’s claims that there was a ‘witch hunt’ against his side after he defended Ryan Bradley, who was awarded the RTÉ man of the match award after the Ulster Championship win over Antrim. “I think from the moment I stood up for Ryan Bradley that there was a media witch-hunt for myself personally and for the team,” McGuinness said. “Some of the things that were said about the team – they were called the Taliban at one stage – was extremely disrespectful.”

McGuinness has also warned that the county will withdraw from next year’s Dr McKenna Cup if the college teams are also involved in the traditional pre-season tournaments. McGuinness was involved in a county v college row over DCU midfielder Martin McElhinney during this season’s McKenna Cup.The Ulster Council recently relaxed the rule – allowing players to choose who they wished to play for in the pre-season competitions.But, after the Ulster champions lost all three games in the Dr McKenna Cup, McGuinness says they won’t take part in it again in its current format.
 

Tyrone claimed their first DrMcKenna Cup title since 2007 following an impressive comeback from six points down against Derry at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday night. Mickey Harte’s side toppled the reigning champions with a powerful second half display, which was greatly aided by the dismissal of Derry’s Jason Conway after just 18 minutes. Two minutes previously, Paddy Bradley had given John Brennan’s side a six-point advantage with a well-taken goal. Tyrone struggled for long periods in the opening half but an Owen Mulligan goal in stoppage time, quickly followed by a Cathal McCarron point, left the sides level at 1-5  apiece at the break. The Red Hands seized the initiative on the resumption of play and points from Stephen O’Neill and Mattie Donnelly pushed them further ahead. Tyrone were seven points clear and cruising when Derry grabbed a consolation goal in stoppage time, Cailean O’Boyle hitting the back of the net from the penalty spot. It finished Tyrone 1-14 Derry2-8

Tyrone Manager Mickey Harte.
 

Derry Manager John Brennan.
 

In a repeat of last years final, defending champions Derry will meet Tyrone in the decider of the 2012 Dr.McKenna Cup. Both counties came from behind at half time to win their respective semi finals at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh on Sunday. Trailing 0-4 at 0-3 at the break Derry hit four unanswered scores early in the second half to take control  in beating Down by 0-11 to 0-9. Conleth Gilligan finished the game as Derry’s top scorer with 5 points. Tyrone fought back from four points down in the first half against Fermanagh to run out comfortable winners 2-12 to 1-4 in the second semi final. Just like Derry the O’Neill county took control early in the second period. By the 57^th minute the game had gone for Fermanagh, Owen Mulligans’s brilliantly taken goal put Tyrone in a commanding position. Ronan O’Neill scored Tyrone’s second goal late in the game as the forward finished with 1-4. The Derry Tyrone Dr.McKenna Cup Final will be played Saturday 28^th January back at the Athletic Grounds inArmagh.

Goal scorer Owen Mulligan was delighted to get a start in the semi final.
 

Ronan O’Neill said the Tyrone side clicked in the second half.