BY CHRIS MCNULTY
JOHN Joe Doherty has urged his Donegal side to build on the weekend's winning of the Dr McKenna Cup when the Tir Chonaill men head for Westmeath this Sunday to begin their National Football League Division Two campaign in Mullingar. Donegal captured the McKenna Cup for the second year in a row when a late David Walsh goal snatched victory over Tyrone at Brewster Park. As in 2009, there's little time for reflecting on the exploits of January with the League commencing in earnest this weekend. Last year after beating Queens in the McKenna Cup final, Donegal opened their League campaign with a game in Kerry - after which selector Tony Boyle memorably quipped to Doherty on the plane back that 'we were expecting the bubble to burst at some stage, but we didn't expect it to be burst by a sledge hammer.'
Doherty was satisfied with his lot on Saturday night, but is adamant that the pre-season competition file must now be tucked away with the National League now the primary focus.
Although not overly concerned with results in January, Doherty was 'encouraged' rather than delighted after the win on Saturday night. "Beating Tyrone is a great thing," he commented. "If you're able to go toe-to-toe with them at any time of the year you have to be encouraged by it. "At the same time, the League is a new battle now and we've to leave the McKenna Cup behind us. It won't be worth much to us if we don't build from here.
"We never set out not to win the competition. It wasn't a top priority. "Mickey Harte is such a good manager, I have so much respect for him. When a man who has won three All Irelands sees it as a competition worth winning, I don't see how anyone in Donegal can turn their noses up at it." Doherty will again place the focus on performances rather than results during the National League - but the Glen man admitted that he would like to get back into the top flight again. He said: "To be honest I didn't think getting relegated last year was the end of the world.
"I think the most disappointing thing about last year's League was that we didn't compete. Games were gone long before the final whistle. It would be very important that we use the League as a build-up to the Championship. "Obviously, we'd like to win the games and get promoted, but it's really important to compete and be heading in the right direction." And after five games in the Dr McKenna Cup and some new faces emerging in early 2010, Donegal appear to be on the right track.
James Keeney has been a real find at corner back, while Fergal McNulty and Eddie Kelly will be pushing hard for inclusion, with Adrian Hanlon emerging as a candidate to lead the frontline alongside Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden, and not forgetting the timely return of Neil Gallagher to the engine room. Doherty said: "I think it freshens the whole thing up a bit. The players who have been about the panel this last few years, I see a great energy about them. I would think that comes from the new faces - and that has to be encouraging. "The squad has gelled very nicely and there are new lads who have come in and settled. Apart from that it's very hard to say, but they are working hard on their games at the minute.
"They were very good against Down and against a physical team like Tyrone it was tough for them. But I'd be encouraged by them because they're working hard - and it's just a matter of striving to go on from here." Brendan Boyle and Barry Dunnion are expected back into the squad for Sunday's trip to Cusack Park, while Karl Lacey is likely to be back in the first XV having not being risked for Saturday's joust as he was carrying a knock. Christy Toye is still some weeks off a return from injury, Rory Kavanagh is to return from Australia in late March and Eamon McGee could yet be back in the green and gold - with his brother Neil hinting that he may well come back from London later in the campaign.
He said: "He (Eamon) might come back. He's working over there and training with Tir Chonaill Gaels. We'll see how it goes for him, but I'd say he'll come back for the summer. He'll miss the football."
