Donegal boss McCann lauds his players' resilience in Nickey Rackard late show

A delighted Donegal boss Mickey McCann saluted the character and mindset of his players as they came from behind to eventually topple Mayo 3-17 to 0-22 in the Nickey Rackard final. 

A pair of Josh McGee/Cronolly goals in the final ten minutes helped turn a Mayo lead of 0-20 to 1-13 into a four-point victory that will long be remembered.

“It is a nice way to win and the boys are ecstatic,” he said. “And it is great to get back up to the Christy Ring which was always our aim.

“We had a lot of wides and the occasion did get to some of our boys. But we showed great heart and the only time you really need to be leading is at the end.”

It was bleak enough looking for McCann’s men as they trailed by five points midway through the second half but the manager said the lads just stuck to the process.

“If you watch all those top hurling games, leads of five or six points can disappear in a heartbeat and of course, it is exciting when you come back and win it.

“They never gave in as last year we were five or six points up and we lost it. But today we came from behind to win it and that shows real development and character in this squad”.

McCann explained that his bench made a huge contribution and that impact from the line, especially McGee/Cronolly, was vital in those frenetic closing stages.

“Fresh legs can make a huge difference and it proved that way for us today. It can be hard to take not being in the 15. 

“But it is a huge testament to the resilience of those who did not start but came on and made a real difference.

“It took 20 men to win this and we had the likes of Danny Cullen whose experience was vital, and Sean McVeigh was also a key factor towards the end.

“Ronan McDermott and the other lads made a big difference as their physicality closed down the gaps for Mayo who had been getting out a bit handy previously.

“The aim now is to do well in the Christy Ring Cup for the first time ever”.