FORMER Donegal selector and Under 20 manager Gary McDaid believes the county can advance past the group stage of the new All-Ireland Senior Football Championship format.
Donegal were drawn into Group 4 on Tuesday and that sees them go up against the Ulster winners, the Munster runner-up, and Monaghan.
The first game will be away to either Kerry or Clare on May 20/21.
Aidan O’Rourke’s side will then face Derry or Armagh in MacCumhaill Park on the June Bank Holiday weekend.
The final match will be on neutral ground against Monaghan on June 17/18.
The top team in each group will march straight through to the quarter-finals.
The second-placed side will then have home advantage against a third-placed team in the Preliminary Round, with the winners making it through to the quarter-finals.
The basement side will be eliminated from the Championship. The fixture details are due to be released on Friday.
Donegal are undoubtedly at a low ebb after relegation from the league and a meek Ulster exit at the hands of a Down side who were hammered by Armagh last week.
While Donegal will have to wait until after the provincial finals for certainty on who they will play, McDaid feels that the backroom team can take calculated risks at this stage and get to work on finding the results they need to make it though to the last 12.
“I think Donegal will be able to get through. You’re probably only going to need one win.
“Even just a draw might be good enough if your score difference is ok. It’s important that we keep things tight defensively and don’t give up big scorelines, especially in that second match.
“I’m sure Aidan O’Rourke and his backroom team will go down to the Munster Final this week and watch Kerry and Clare.
“You can be 99% sure that it’s going to be Clare. It would be the upset of all upsets if Kerry were beat.”
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