Just like old times, Donegal's work-in-progress will be truly tested by Tyrone

Shane O'Donnell of Donegal in action against James Donaghy of Tyrone during the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup Group A match in January

placeholder image — Shane O'Donnell of Donegal in action against James Donaghy of Tyrone during the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup Group A match in January

After the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final success over Dublin, few would’ve thought it would take the best part of a decade for Donegal supporters to see Jimmy winning matches again - but that’s what happened and now with the appetite whetted, it's a familiar foe

When Jim McGuinness first stepped into the Donegal hot seat ahead of the 2011 season, their target was Mickey Harte’s Tyrone. Thirteen years on, it was Mickey Harte and now it’s Tyrone.

Last weekend, few fancied Donegal at Celtic Park against Ulster’s three-in-a-row chasing Derry before what turned into a significant 4-11 to 0-17 win. Afterwards, some considered it a tactical masterclass, others an ambush, similar to the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final victory over Dublin.

That day at Croke Park the plan was to keep the sheet clean and then expose some of Jim Gavin’s side’s few weaknesses, flicking kick-outs into space towards runners on the gallop and prioritising goals. Donegal won 3-14 to 0-17, an almost identical scoreline to the one on the Bogside last Saturday evening.

After that success over Dublin, few would’ve thought it would take the best part of a decade for Donegal supporters to see Jimmy winning matches again - but that’s what happened after Kerry won the All-Ireland and McGuinness vacated the role.

McGuinness returned last September and would’ve had April 20 circled on his calendar since the draw last October. The six months of preparation showed. Now, with the condensed nature of the championship, a format that he has constantly queried of late, it’s an eight-day turnaround. That, though, is one day more than Tyrone, who were taken to extra-time by Cavan before eventually winning an exhaustingly entertaining quarter-final 1-23 to 3-16.

“Once you get the date, it's the only date that matters - it's the first round of the Championship and you have to prepare and plan for that,” McGuinness said last Saturday. “From the day the draw was made, we were planning for it – and it wouldn't have made a difference who it was. It's the game you're targeting.”

McGuiness had the luxury of sitting at Beffni Park alongside selector Luke Barrett as Tyrone were pushed to their limits and beyond. Then, with the dates so close, for Donegal, it was a recovery session early in the week and then training geared towards Tyrone.

While Donegal ripped open Derry’s chinks and outwitted Harte and his positioning of Odhran Lynch, primarily from the leggy Shaun Patton and substitute goalkeeper Gavin Mulreany’s abilities off the tee, Tyrone are unlikely to be caught similarly. Patton has been named to start tomorrow and Mulreany, the former Finn Harps netminder, showed last week that, if required, he knows the drill.

The pros and cons of goalkeepers pushing up - the risks versus rewards - have gained plenty of airtime this week but in Niall Morgan, Tyrone have the original sweeper-keeper. The Edendork clubman isn’t stuck between the sticks domestically and is the best in the business at the auxiliary role, as he has shown for years and, most recently, on St Patrick’s weekend produced a sublime assist which led to Darragh Canavan’s goal against Monaghan.

A bit like Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s Kerry did in the 2014 All-Ireland final, Brian Dooher might opt to mirror Donegal and a game of stares might well develop. If Donegal want to win, they’ll have to do it differently than they did in Derry.

That 2013 loss to Monaghan is McGuinness's only ever defeat in the northern province - a winning record of 14 wins from 15 - when, preceding his two appointments, Donegal were defeated in their first outings in 2008, 2009, 2010 and again last year.

For McGuinness, Tyrone was always the yardstick. Everything in those early days was geared towards their neighbours and had they not come out with narrow semi-final victories on their way to provincial titles in both 2011 and 2012, Donegal football would’ve taken a distinctly different direction.

“Once you get the last training session under the belt and you have imparted all the information that you can to them then the work is done and you just have to wait for the game to start,” McGuinness said at Celtic Park. “We are still a work in progress and that's the bottom line. We just have to take that and move on.”

Tomorrow, back in Derry, just how far Donegal have moved on will be there for all to see. Tyrone will have plenty to say about that.