The following is a summary of Donegal county football team's 2020 season. The season was suspended in March 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The season resumed in mid-October of the same year. Eight players completed the league and championship season while awaiting the outcome of the

2020 Donegal Senior Football Championship The 2020 Donegal Senior Football Championship was the 98th official edition of Donegal GAA's premier Gaelic football tournament for senior graded clubs in County Donegal. 16 teams compete with the winner representing Donegal in the Ulster Seni ...

final (postponed following a case of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

at the Kilcar club); these were

Patrick McBrearty Patrick McBrearty (born 5 August 1993) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He is usually selected in the full-forward line for his county, often flanking Michael Murphy with Colm McFadden (befo ...

Ryan McHugh Ryan McHugh (born 11 April 1994) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He is the brother of Mark and the son of Martin. A former county minor, McHugh propelled himself onto the national stage in ...

Eoin McHugh Eoin McHugh (born 1994/5) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He is the only son of James McHugh, a member of the team that defeated Dublin in the 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championshi ...

and

Andrew McClean Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

, as well as the following from their opponents Naomh Conaill:

Ciarán Thompson Ciarán Thompson (born 1994/5) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Naomh Conaill CLCG, Naomh Conaill and the Donegal county football team, Donegal county team. He is a Bias against left-handed people#Language, ciotóg. Playing career C ...

Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí (born 1998/9) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Naomh Conaill and the Donegal county team. He is a utility player. Playing career Club He won a Donegal Senior Football Championship (SFC) with his club in 2019, ...

, Eoghan McGettigan and Ethan O'Donnell.

Squad

: S. Patton : E. B. Gallagher : N. McGee : E. McHugh : R. McHugh : P. Brennan : P. Mogan : H. McFadden : C. McGonagle : B. McCole : N. O'Donnell : M. Langan : P. McBrearty : M. Murphy (c.) : J. Brennan ; : A. McClean for P. Brennan : D. Ó Baoill for E. McHugh : C. Thompson for McBrearty : J. McGee for O'Donnell ; : M. Lynch : J. Mac Ceallabhuí : E. McGettigan : C. Ward : E. Doherty : C. O'Donnell : P. McGrath ; : S. McMenamin : M. Carroll : C. Diver : K. Gillespie : A. Doherty ; : D. Bonner ; : P. McGonigle : : S. Rochford ;Others : Conor Morrison : Ethan O'Donnell

Personnel changes

Players added to the panel included Ethan O'Donnell,

, Conor O'Donnell, Ciaran Diver,

Enda McCormick Enda McCormick (born 1997/8) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who has played for Termon and both the Donegal and London county teams. He plays as a forward. McCormick represented Donegal at minor and under-20 level. He was part of the team that ...

, Aaron Deeney (St Eunan's) and Brian O'Donnell. Cian Mulligan joined the panel again after departing the previous season. Conor Morrison, who played six games in the 2019 season before deciding to depart in March, returned. Michael Carroll was recalled after his midfield performances in the 2019 Donegal SFC. Tony McClenaghan also returned, following his injury. Frank McGlynn retired ahead of the 2020 season.

Odhrán Mac Niallais Odhrán Mac Niallais (born 17 August 1992) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Gaoth Dobhair and the Donegal county team. With two Ulster Senior Football Championships to his name, Mac Niallais was a prominent feature of the Donegal m ...

did not return, having previously opted out of the 2019 season.

Competitions

Dr McKenna Cup

Jason McGee Jason McGee (born 1997/8) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cloich Cheann Fhaola and the Donegal county team. He is a former Australian rules football trialist. Playing career Minor McGee has an Ulster Minor Football Championship ...

had hip surgery in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, on 28 November 2019, causing him to miss the opening part of the season.

Eamonn Doherty Eamonn Doherty (born 1990/1) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for St Eunan's and the Donegal county team. He is a secondary school teacher in Buncrana. Playing career Club Eamonn Doherty started his club's winning senior county fina ...

, Hugh McFadden and Odhrán McFadden-Ferry were all struck down by "January flu" as the season opened.

National Football League Division 1

Donegal competed in Division 1 for the 2020 National League season. The GAA published the fixture schedule on 26 November 2019. On 12 March 2020, the GAA suspended the National League in mid-March due to the

. Games resumed in October 2020. The footballers travelled the round-trip of 900 kilometres to Tralee in their own cars to play Kerry in the first game, a feat described in the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' as the "most eye-catching example of GAA expeditions in the Covid era".

Table

Fixtures

Ulster Senior Football Championship

The draw for the 2020 Ulster SFC took place on RTÉ Radio 1 on the morning of 9 October 2019. Paddy McGrath sustained an injury during training ahead of the 2020 Ulster SFC semi-final, which ruled him out.

and

Oisín Gallen Oisín Gallen (born 1999/2000) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Seán Mac Cumhaills and the Donegal county team. He plays as a forward. Playing career Club 2018 was when Gallen first played for his club in the senior championship. ...

sustained injuries during training ahead of the 2020 Ulster SFC final; Thompson could only make a substitute appearance in the game and Gallen could not play at all.

Bracket

Fixtures

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Due to the

impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games As with other sports, the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to Gaelic games, primarily in Ireland but also elsewhere in the world. Competitions were cancelled, postponed or restructured, while some teams were withdrawn or were unable to par ...

, the GAA announced that there would be no back-door route into the All-Ireland Championship. Therefore, because Donegal did not win the Ulster Championship, they did not qualify for the 2020 All-Ireland Championship.

Management team

:''Confirmed in November 2017, with replacements noted:'' *

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Declan Bonner Declan Bonner (born 11 August 1965) is an Irish Gaelic footballer and manager. He played at senior level for the Donegal county team, winning an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1992. He later managed the Donegal county team for tw ...

*Assistant manager: Paul McGonigle, not listed among November 2017 appointments *Head coach: John McElholm *

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

: Gary Boyle * Selector:

Stephen Rochford Stephen Rochford (born 10 October 1978) is an Irish Gaelic football coach and former manager and player. He was manager of the senior Mayo county team from 2015 to 2018. Raised in Crossmolina, County Mayo, Rochford was educated at Crossmolina ...

, replacing

Karl Lacey Karl Lacey (born 10 September 1984) is an Irish Gaelic football coach who plays for Four Masters and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team. His county's most decorated individual, his personal achievements include four All Star awards� ...

after 2018 season but Lacey actually carried on until the end of 2020 *

Goalkeeping coach A sports coach is a person coaching in sport, involved in the direction, instruction and training of a sports team or athlete. History The original sense of the word ''coach'' is that of a horse-drawn carriage, deriving ultimately from the Hun ...

: Andrew McGovern *

Strength and conditioning coach A strength and conditioning coach (also known as an S&C coach) is a physical performance professional who uses exercise prescription to improve the performance of competitive athletes or athletic teams. This is achieved through the combination of ...

: Paul Fisher * Nutritionist: Ronan Doherty * Team physician: Kevin Moran *

Physio Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...

: Cathal Ellis *Psychology and performance manager: Anthony McGrath, previously involved with the minor team *Video analysis: Chris Byrne *

Logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

: Packie McDyre *

Kitman In Shi'ism, ''Taqiya'' or ''Taqiyya'' ( ar, تقیة ', literally "prudence, fear")R. STROTHMANN, MOKTAR DJEBLI. Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd ed, Brill. "TAKIYYA", vol. 10, p. 134. Quote: "TAKIYYA "prudence, fear" ..denotes dispensing with th ...

: Barry McBride

Awards

GAA.ie Football Team of the Week

* 27 January: Eoghan Bán Gallagher,

Michael Murphy Michael, Mick, or Mike Murphy may refer to: Artists and entertainers * Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor * Mike Murphy (musician) (1946–2006), American drummer for the Bee Gees and Chicago * Michael Bryan Murphy, lead singer o ...

; Murphy nominated for Footballer of the Week * 3 February: Michael Langan,

Jamie Brennan Jamie Brennan (born 1996) is an Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler who plays football for Réalt na Mara and the Donegal county team, and has hurled for Aodh Ruadh. Family and education His mother Jess is from County Sligo. His father is fr ...

* 19 October:

; McHugh nominated for Footballer of the Week * Langan nominated for, and selected as, Player of the Week * 16 November:

Shaun Patton Shaun Patton (born 1995) is an Irish goalkeeper who has played in that position in two different sports. A former professional soccer player in the League of Ireland with Derry City, Finn Harps and Sligo Rovers, Patton changed to Gaelic football ...

, Peadar Mogan, Michael Langan; Mogan nominated for Footballer of the Week

All Stars

Three nominations, for Peadar Mogan, Michael Langan and

Notes

References

External links

* Matchday programmes released online for games played during the

: *
NFL Round 6 v Tyrone
*
NFL Round 7 v Kerry
*
Ulster quarter-final v Tyrone
*
Ulster semi-final v Armagh
*
Ulster final
Ulster final
--> {{GAA 2020

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

Donegal county football team seasons