DONEGAL CAPTAIN MICHAEL Murphy has voiced his frustration at the red card he received against Dublin last Saturday night as his side were chasing a late equaliser.
Murphy became embroiled in an off-the-ball wrestling match with his marker John Small deep into injury-time in their 1-15 to 1-14 defeat at Croke Park.
Replays suggested it was Small who initiated the tussle before Brian Howard got involved and helped bring the three-time All-Star to the ground.
Both Small and Murphy were shown second yellow cards in an incident which has been compared to David Clifford’s dismissal against Tyrone two weeks earlier.
“What are you going to say about it, I was a forward trying to get up the field to attack and I get a yellow card so that’s the way,” said Murphy.
On the comparisons with Clifford’s sending off, he remarked: “I suppose part of it felt like that anyway.
“I was trying to get up the field and the two of us went down then and all of a sudden, probably because of the length of time we were in the shemozzle, there was always going to be two yellow cards then but it is what it is.
“You’re going to get that in football, two teams going at it, two players going at it. It was frustrating and disappointing but we need to learn from it and move on.”
Murphy did appear fortunate not to receive a red card in the opening half after his raised elbow connected with Davy Byrne’s face.
Donegal boss Declan Bonner questioned the lack of injury-time played at the end of the second-half given the Murphy-Small incident led to a lengthy stoppage in play.
“That incident in the middle of the field was held up for at least two or three minutes, maybe I’m wrong, but he blew up,” Bonner stated after the game.
Murphy added: “Honestly I don’t know. I really don’t know, at that stage I was coming off the field and I wasn’t really looking.
“We had that attack towards the end I remember it kind of just petered out towards that end but in terms of the time, I really don’t know.”
Donegal have now failed to beat Dublin in eight attempts since their shock All-Ireland semi-final victory in 2014. And they’ve struggled to close out winning positions so far in the league, falling to a late draw against Mayo and defeat to Galway in recent weeks.
“You need to get over the line, getting over that line is the big part. It’s your extra 20% or 30% to try and do that and we’ve got to believe. I still believe we’re on the right track.
“I still believe we’re on the right journey, the team is maturing and we just need to keep pushing at it.
“I keep going back to it, keep developing the squad that we have there and keep getting bodies playing because I do feel that the game at the moment, it’s a 20 or 25-man game and we need to keep developing a squad that’s strong enough for that and we just keep trying to improve.
“Listen, you learn in every game. Funny, the league is brilliant like, you’ve ups and downs, one week you take learnings and that’s the way we’ve applied ourselves in the last two weeks after the Galway game.
“That was strong and powerful and intense, we took the learnings, we took some harsh learnings from that game, it wasn’t nice, and I thought we applied what we tried to do to that first 20 minutes of the game.
“We just weren’t able to sustain that and that’s what it’s going to take to compete at this level against the big sides against you, your Dublins, your Kerrys, your Tyrones and the teams that are going to be up there, the Galways and Mayos and that’s what we need to try and do as a group and as a squad.”
They’re hovering just above the relegation zone in Division 1 with Monaghan, Tyrone and Kerry still to play.
“We need to get points on the board obviously but I keep saying, points on the board is definitely something we look towards but the big aim is to really be competitive and really try and build that squad.
“A couple of players that we’re still trying to get back and we’ve introduced a number of new players. It was great to get Paddy (McBrearty) back.
“Legs are a crucial part of what we’re trying to do and, again, that’s what the league is for us and it’s just good to get this quality of games every single day because that’s where you learn what you have.”
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Cambridge to win!!!!
In the boat race Ben yea ?
Jaysus, if Cambridge did win, would he still call it a twitchy ass?
No train tunnel !
Did Cambridge back off to get the payday?
Ha ha
Cambridge, a town known for its University and Academics,more than its Football. Locals out in force supporting their local team, even though there is a massive gulf in class and they would be regarded as minnows my many.Now imagine if this game was in Dublin, a town that claims to be sports mad. The locals would be supporting the team in Red. We’ve a lot to learn here, as to what supporting a team is really all about.
A town that claims to be sports mad, but in truth is drink mad, and the premier league is on every weekend down the pub. Maybe the fans in Cambridge need a lesson in what latent alcoholism is all about.
Aye but no one turns out for a regular game, that’s not what support is about!
The fact United were the first team to play at the New Lansdowne road was a joke….. “Fans” were cheering goals scored by United against a league of Ireland 11, so embarrassing.
I think we support out national game quite well in Dublin, hill 16 is packed every championship game! Soccer is a foreign game, and the club/ league/ national soccer set up in this country is a complete joke! The GAA make the FAI look like amateurs
I’m assuming u were at the Aviva last season Luke for Rovers v Liverpool. You’re a Liverpool supporter so maybe you ll point out the difference….
I think they average 4-5000 a game so fairly decent. Still chose to get behind their team tonight instead of the ‘big club’. People support their local side in the UK, like people here do their County in GAA. To do anything else would be perceived as odd over there.
Yeah sure Ger. That’s why there are so many Man United fans in London !!!
That’s just not true. Having met countless English people in hostels whilst traveling I can tell you that unless they come from a place with a big club eg Manchester, most do not support there local club. It’s very strange because they don’t even support there nearest biggest club. The amount of people I met from south England who support Man U even though they have no connection to Manchester is staggering and as far as I could see it wasn’t considered strange by other English people.
I wasn’t at that game Gerry because I was on holidays but to be honest if I did Go I wouldn’t have been cheering Liverpool goals any loader than I would have cheered the local teams goals, i am Irish after all.
That Liverpool game was different because it wasn’t the grand opening for our new national stadium. A bunch of sad gits cheering United while their own country men got hockeyed wasn’t the best way to open something we all paid for.
Not as many as in Dublin and people go watch their local teams in London too. Look at attendances across the UK. Even the Conference averages higher attendances than the LOI. Why? Because there is a culture of attending games, regardless of how big or small your team is.
Chadwick has really grown into his face
So far jones final balls have been shocking poor like, Fellaini given away free after free. It’s been pretty tame the last 28 minutes.
LVG should get Ander Herrera, to teach Fellaini on how to tackle and not give away frees all the time. Herrera had more of an impact in the last 15 minutes than Fellaini.
That was just apalling. I don’t care about the conditions or any other excuse. getting stressed watching it. Ruined my Friday evening.
My God that was painful to watch. LVG can take his philosophy and shove it where the sun don’t shine.
Sloop you can’t blame LVG for players poor choice decisions in the final third, to many time player check back instead of going to the byline
I
Sorry B, don’t agree. The manager picks the team so the buck stops with him. Blind was terrible all thru the game but was only substituted near the end. I’ve heard of “blind” loyalty but that was ridiculous.
Of course you can B, That’s his philosophy. It’s brutal to watch, the attacking UTD is long gone with LVG. Very patient but very hard to watch.
Dion Dublin to come on and score the winner for Cambridge
200 million….well worth it.
Well done Cambridge, horrible conditions but they deserve there day out now at Old Trafford . A nice payday for the club aswell now . Will look forward to the replay .
This the real Bazinga?
Ahhh ffs…. You guys always chop my comment…. Journo, why does this happen?
Baz, was saying this year it seems the cups have been about the lil clubs….. Great to see!
There’s a local Malahide lad doing well with Cambridges youth team the last 2 years. It would have been nice to have seen him play tonight. A year or two early for him though!
Cork lad too playing tonight!
Jones , one of our better headerers of the ball hitting corners. Very poor corners at that. Hmmm
Jones is absolute shite. He looks so cumbersome on the ball, gives it away most of the time.
Squeaky bum time glory seekers.
Who do you support then Ben? If it’s anyone except Accrington Stanley then you can FRO
Blind is the furthest thing away from a left I have ever seen!
Any idea why he’s getting booed? It’s hilarious but baffling
V poor, Cambridge were superb. Conditions were poor but no excuse for lads been paid a normal persons salary a week. At least the replay will ensure Cambridge keep their heads above water. Their fans were superb.
F@#King hopeless!!!! Poor tactical formations and no heart from the utd players. Hard to watch.
Why does LVG persist with 3-5-2 ? http://wp.me/p3yGUO-IC
Except it’s 4-4-2 tonight
If that’s your own blog you’re linking you might want to give it a quick proof read for detail. Murinho, while a very good manager, tends to be successful with the traditional 11 man teams, so unless he abandoned the goalkeeping position in his initial spell as Chelsea manager I don’t think it’s accurate to say he “brought in the 4-4-3 so successfully.”
No sure Jose has played the keeper up front loads of times.
Poor Trapattoni lost his job because he insisted on playing 4-4-2 …….
4 4 2
4 4 2
4 4 2
Herrera for felliani, RVP for Wilson.
Falcao doing nothing Time to bring rvp on
They need to provide him with some proper balls
Whats wrong with ball they are using now?
Pretty sure Utd will win
Crikey neither of em !!