Glenswilly boss expecting a tougher path ahead

By Michael McMullan

GLENSWILLY began the championship with the main objective of making the knock-out stages.

Although they’re one of three teams to have won all their qualifying games so far, manager Darren McGinley feels the title race is about to get even more competitive.

They travel to MacCumhaills on Sunday with a chance of booking an automatic qualification spot should they finish in the top four.

“At the start, it was about keeping safe and that’s hard to believe,” McGinley said.

“The way it started and the victory against Termon, that was a big one for us. It made us believe after winning the first three games but it is going to get harder from here on in.”

McGinley is in his first season in charge, having succeeded Gary McDaid at the helm. He welcomed last weekend’s break as it gave them a chance to get reset for what’s coming down the tracks.

“We wanted to get men rested as much as we can,” he said. “Having three games in a row has been tough on the boys.”

Looking ahead to this weekend, McGinley is expecting a tough assignment with MacCumhaill’s. Their opponents have picked up just two points as a consequence of two draws, albeit against the might of St Eunan’s and Gaoth Dobhair.

“They’re now going to be dangerous,” McGinley warned. “They need points because with the two points they have, they could slip into the relegation battle and they’ll not want that.”

Glenswilly have been boosted by the availability of Michael Murphy. He missed last season’s Dr Maguire race with the injury sustained on Donegal’s route to the All-Ireland final.

Having played with Murphy, McGinley knows all too well what he can offer. His impressive performance in their victory over Termon set the tone.

“Michael had been a big player for years, not just this year,” he said. “It’s brilliant to see him this year.

“He has just brought that edge again, as he always does. Michael doesn’t have a bad game, he’s just brilliant.”

Murphy factor

The beauty is Murphy’s ability to operate as a target man inside or at midfield with possession the golden ingredient in every game.

“If they try and put a man on him, then another in front of him, it gives us a man free out the field,” McGinley pointed out.

“If they don’t, then they’re going man-to-man with him. There’s not too many defenders that I’ve seen over my years playing with Michael that can manage him.”

Another plus point has been the influx of goalkeepers in the Glenswilly squad. At the start of the year, they were on the lookout.

McGinley has former teammate Brian Farrelly as part of the management and has been impressed with the coaching of Tyrone man Gary O’Neill.

“Joe Coll is in as a goalkeeping coach, he has probably been one of the biggest appointments,” McGinley said.

“We had no goalkeeper at the start of the year and now we have six goalkeepers.”

Coll has watched over the new goalkeepers coming up from the minors, as well as Donnacha Gallagher who was playing with the Donegal Masters.

“We took him in and he’s just getting better and better,” McGinley said.

“That’s down to Joe. I can see the difference in all of them, he has brought a different dynamic to the whole thing.”