2011 Donegal county football team season
The 2011 Donegal county football team season was the franchise's 107th season since the County Board's foundation in 1905. The team ended the season as Ulster champions after winning the 2011 Ulster Senior Football Championship. It was their sixth title and a first since Brian McEniff led the team to Sam MCMXCII.
Ahead of the new season, Jim McGuinness was appointed as the team's manager, bringing to an end the era of John Joe Doherty.[1][2] The arrival of McGuinness brought the first appearance of a soon-to-be revolutionary tactic The System.[3]
League
Opener: win vs Sligo[4]
Provincial Championship
| Donegal | 1-10 - 0-7 | Antrim |
|---|---|---|
| M McHugh 1-1, M Murphy 0-3 (3f), R Bradley, C McFadden (1f) 0-2 each, D Molloy, A Hanlon 0-1 each | Report | T McCann, P Cunningham (1f), K Niblock (2f) 0-2 each, M Dougan 0-1 |
| Donegal | 2-14 - 1-8 | Cavan |
|---|---|---|
| P McBrearty 1-3 (1f), C McFadden 0-5 (2f), R Kavanagh 1-0, D Molloy 0-2, K Cassidy, K Rafferty, L McLoone and M Murphy 0-1(f) each | Report | M Brennan 1-1, N McDermott 0-4 (3f), G McKiernan, F Flanagan and S Johnston 0-1 (f) each. |
| Tyrone | 0-9 - 2-6 | Donegal |
|---|---|---|
| S O'Neill 0-2, S Cavanagh 0-2 (1f), P Jordan, B Dooher, O Mulligan, M Penrose and P Harte (f) 0-1 each | Report | C McFadden 1-1 (1f), D Molloy 1-0, M Murphy 0-2 (1f), K Cassidy, K Rafferty and P McBrearty 0-1 each |
All-Ireland Championship
| Donegal | 1-12 - 0-14 A.E.T. | Kildare |
|---|---|---|
| C Toye 1-1, M Murphy 0-3 (1f), K Cassidy 0-2, K Lacey, R Kavanagh, M McHugh, R Bradley, P McBrearty, D Molloy 0-1 each | Report | E O'Flaherty 0-6 (4f), A Smith 0-2, E Bolton, P O'Neill, E Callaghan, J Kavanagh, G White (f), R Sweeney 0-1 each |
Panel
New manager Jim McGuinness included Kevin Cassidy (who intended to retire at the end of the previous season) and Michael Hegarty (who was not involved in the previous season) in his squad for the 2011 Dr. McKenna Cup. Also named were several of the under-21s, including Peter Boyle, Thomas McKinley, Daniel McLaughlin, Kevin Mulhern and Antoin McFadden, and Johnny Bonner and Marty Boyle, stars of Naomh Conaill's run to the 2010 Ulster club football final.[5]
- McKenna Cup panel
Paul Durcan, Peter Boyle, Karl Lacey, Neil McGee, Barry Dunnion, Johnny Bonner, Tomas McKinley, Edward Kelly, Neil Gallagher, Rory Kavanagh, Christopher Murrin, Dermot Molloy, Michael Hegarty, Colm McFadden, Daniel McLaughlin, Marty Boyle, David Walsh, Adrian Hanlon, Michael Murphy, Paddy McGrath, Kevin Mulhern, Leo McLoone, Ryan Bradley, Kevin Cassidy, Frank McGlynn, Antoin McFadden.
- Championship panel
- Details
Squad as per Donegal vs Kildare, 2011 All-Ireland Quarter-final, 30 July 2011
Management
- Manager: Jim McGuinness
- Selectors: Rory Gallagher, Maxi Curran
- Goalkeeping coach: Pat Shovelin
- Surgical consultant: Kevin Moran
- Team doctor: Charlie McManus
- Team physio: Dermot Simpson
- Physical Therapists: Charlie Molloy, Paul Coyle, Donal Reid, JD.[6]
Kit
All Stars
Donegal achieved three All Stars.
| Pos. | Player | Team | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK |  Stephen Cluxton | Dublin | 4 |
| RCB |  Marc Ó Sé | Kerry | 3 |
| FB |  Neil McGee | Donegal | 1 |
| LCB |  Michael Foley | Kildare | 1 |
| RWB | Kevin Cassidy | Donegal | 2 |
| CB | Karl Lacey | Donegal | 3 |
| LWB | Kevin Nolan | Dublin | 1 |
| MD | Bryan Sheehan | Kerry | 1 |
| MD | Michael D. Macauley | Dublin | 1 |
| RWF | Darran O'Sullivan | Kerry | 1 |
| CF | Alan BroganFOTY | Dublin | 3 |
| LWF | Paul Flynn | Dublin | 1 |
| RCF | Colm Cooper | Kerry | 7 |
| FF |  Andy Moran | Mayo | 1 |
| LCF | Bernard Brogan | Dublin | 2 |
- County breakdown
- Dublin = 6
- Kerry = 4
- Donegal = 3
- Mayo = 1
- Kildare = 1
References
- "Doherty resigns as Donegal manager". RTÉ Sport. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- "McGuinness appointed as Donegal manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- Duggan, Keith (2 September 2014). "Neil McGee: pushing bodies on was key to Dublin upset - 'We went away to a training camp for four, five days and Jim more or less broke down their game plan and we exploited it'". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. p. 2. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
One of the lazier stereotypes about the Donegal defensive game – generally labelled ‘the system’ – is that it somehow does the work on its own. But McGee had plenty of moments in the spotlight with Brogan on Sunday and took his turn roaming forward like the other Donegal back six.
- "Donegal snatch a draw". Irish Independent. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- "Cassidy and Hegarty in McGuinness' Donegal panel". BBC Sport. BBC. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- Craig, Frank. "Interview: Keepers deserve their 'Pat' on the back". Ardara. Archived from the original on 2015-02-25.
As well as Pat, the hospital's surgical consultant, Kevin Moran; team doctor, Charlie McManus and team physio, Dermot Simpson, are all part of McGuinness' backroom team.