Ryan McHugh
IT was a week to forget for Ryan McHugh but he was glad to end it on a high with victory against Roscommon.
McHugh was part of the Donegal team beaten by Kerry, and then his college Ulster University Jordanstown were hammered by UCD on Wednesday in the Sigerson Cup.
However, he could finally smile again on Sunday as Donegal claimed the spoils in Dr Hyde Park.
“Yeah it was very disappointing to lose to UCD but we just came up against a better team and we have no complaints.
“It was tough to take but you move on. It wasn’t the easiest week with losing to Kerry and then UCD so it was nice to finish it on a positive note.”
The victory over Roscommon was vital as Donegal bid to retain their Division 1 status.
Donegal struggled at times in the first half, but raised their game with the elements at their backs in the second half.
“It’s two huge points for us.
“It wasn’t perfect and we would be disappointed with how we let them back into the game.
“We were going well in the second half and got into the lead and then we gave away a very poor goal from our point of view.
“But we showed good character and guts to get over the line.”
McHugh has been accustomed to grabbing the headlines in recent years, but it was cousin Eoin, who was the hero on Sunday.
However, Ryan was taking some credit for the late winner.
“I was telling him inside there that I set him up and he wouldn’t have kicked it if I didn’t give him the ball.
“No, it was a great score to be fair to him. He showed great bottle to take it on and it was a big point for us.”
McHugh had hoped to be involved with UUJ at the Sigerson weekend, but he will now have no game next week.
A rest will probably do the Kilcar man no harm, but that’s not the way he views it.
“You don’t think like that when you’re playing football. You want to play every game in every competition.
“It’s a pity we’re not going to be playing, but we will just train hard with Donegal, and get ready for Dublin in two weeks time.”
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