BY RYAN FERRY
DONEGAL star Ryan McHugh was keeping tabs on Down throughout the National Football League and he says his team will need a ‘huge performance’ to win on Sunday and advance to the Ulster Championship semi-final.
It’s been a good season so far for Donegal as they clinched the Division 1 NFL title.
However, Down also had success as they won the Division 3 league crown.
The sides met last year in Clones with Donegal winning by six points.
McHugh and his teammates are strong favourites to win on Sunday and book a last four spot against Fermanagh or Armagh.
However, the experienced Kilcar man has been about long enough to know that his team will be vulnerable if they don’t bring the right championship intensity to O’Donnell Park.
“Down are a great side and they are unbeaten this year.
“I follow them a wee bit myself because my brother Mark is over Westmeath and they were in the same division.
“They have been great and they have put up a lot of high scores.
“It was probably one of their poorer performances against Wexford but they still managed to get over the line and win the game which was massive for them.
“Down caused us a lot of problems in Clones last year.
“I know we pulled away in the end but they had a goal chance in the first half that they didn’t take and that would have put them ahead.
“Every game is different and you have to be ready for it and prepared for it.
“If you’re ten per cent off it at all, then teams will catch you and you see that every year in Ulster.
“We are going to have to be on it and we’re going to need to put in another huge performance.
“But that’s where you want to be as a footballer. It’s a cliché but you have to take it one game at a time and you can’t afford to look too far ahead.
“You want to be playing against the big teams in the big games and Down will be a really tough one for us.”