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Clones
Saturday, 24 July
Throw-in: 1600BST

Selector PJ McGowan insists that morale in the Donegal camp remains high ahead of Saturday's qualifier against Fermanagh at Clones.

Eamon McGee and Brian McLaughlin were dropped from the panel for breaches of discipline last week and bad publicity has enveloped the squad in recent days.

However, McGowan says that the "dust has settled" and that allegations of wider dissent are "codswallop".

"The fellows are getting on with it and the mood is positive," said McGowan.

Despite McGowan's positive assertions, he acknowledges that the negative headlines since the Ulster Final hammering by Armagh have been an "embarrassment".

"The county board, management and players have been seeing issues not related to football highlighted in the media and it doesn't do you any good.

"I certainly don't like it, I know that Brian (McEniff) doesn't like it and the players aren't happy about it either."

McGowan wasn't prepared to go into specifics on why McGee and McLaughlin were dropped from the squad although he confirmed that it was because of two disciplinary breaches.

The Donegal mentor acknowledged that "many" other members of the squad felt that McLaughlin and McGee had been "vilified to a certain degree".

We made Armagh look better than they actually are PJ McGowan

"Fellows wondered what could be done to clear their names but at the end of the day, dust settles and fellows get on with it."

McGowan points out that training has functioned as normal over the past 10 days "despite these allegations, insinuations, rumours and downright bull".

Brian McEniff's assistant insists that Donegal didn't do themselves justice against Armagh.

"Armagh were very, very good on the day but we were poor and made Armagh look better than they actually are.

"We had a good enough game plan going into the match but unfortunately we didn't play to it.

"We had a number of below-par performances and made so many basic mistakes.

"But with 10 minutes to go we were still only five points behind...so even playing so poorly the game was still there to be won at that stage."

McGowan agrees that Fermanagh boss Charlie Mulgrew will have excellent knowledge of the Donegal players - including his own St Eunan's club-mates Brendan Devenney and John Haran.

However, one suspects that the emphasis in Donegal after the Ulster Final debacle is on getting their game right rather than focusing too much on the opposition.