"We didn't play the elements well at all" - McGuinness

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness says his side didn’t adapt well to the wet and windy conditions in Salthill during yesterday’s defeat to Galway.

Playing against a stiff breeze in the first half at Pearse Stadum, the Ulster champions went in at the break trailing by 0-17 to 0-1 before eventually slipping to their first loss of the Allianz League campaign on a 0-21 to 0-14 scoreline.

Speaking after the game, McGuinness accepted that their opponents coped with the challenging condition much better than his side did.

“Listen, it was a very, very tough day for football, let’s be honest,” he is quoted saying by donegaldaily.com.

“Galway played the elements far better than us; we didn’t play the elements well at all. We’ve done really well in the first couple of games in terms of how we support the ball and use the ball, but that wasn’t the case today.

“They went high with the press, the conditions were bad, and it was a challenge for us.”

He added: “Shane Walsh, I don’t know how many he finished with, but maybe five two-pointers. He adapted very well to the conditions and had a couple of moments of brilliance as well into the breeze. That free kick with the left foot off the ground was a brilliant moment.”