A third defeat, but Declan Bonner encouraged by ‘top class’ second half by Donegal

Declan Bonner hailed a ‘top class’ performance by Donegal in the second half at Croke Park tonight.

Going into the last four minutes, Donegal were just a point behind Dublin, but the Dubs kicked the final four points for a 0-20 to 0-15 win.

“The level of performance in the second half was top class,” Bonner told eir Sport.

“We had a purple spell where we outscored Dublin 8-3, but we just didn’t kick on.

“We had opportunities, but the commitment and the quality of the second-half performance was very good.”

"At half time, we decided we have to give it a go" -Donegal manager Declan Bonner spoke to us after his side's defeat at Croke Park. #AllianzLeagues #MatchNightLive pic.twitter.com/E81RWeDGJW

— #MatchNightLive (@eirSport) February 10, 2018

Dublin manager Jim Gavin was thankful for his side’s late economy as they claimed a third win of the League campaign.

He said: “There was a point in it and the game could have went either way. There is great resilience there. The guys never give up.”

"With a point in it, the game could have went either way" – @DubGAAOfficial manager Jim Gavin spoke to @suibhnegeilt after his side's win. #MatchNightLive #AllianzLeagues pic.twitter.com/cFOjXU20Tw

— #MatchNightLive (@eirSport) February 10, 2018