Gallen back in action ahead of Gaoth Dobhair showdown

By Michael McMullan

OISÍN Gallen has a full game under his belt after a comeback from injury for Mac Cumhaills ahead of this weekend’s all or nothing championship showdown with Gaoth Dobhair.

Gallen injured his hamstring within the first minute of their opener against Ardara the way to scoring a goal that put his aside ahead.

He missed the win over Killybegs and defeat at the hands of Naomh Conaill before hitting five points against top of the table Glenswilly.

Gavin Gallagher thumped the first ball into Gallen who, as manager Gary Wilson explained, pulled up before making the decision to shoot for goal.

“He said himself, like it was laughable,” Wilson said of Gallen’s goal. “When he went past his man, the boy kind of pulled him back, and he kind of overstretched in the hamstring.

“That’s the reason why he kicked it in the back of the net. He (Gallen) knew it was coming off so that’s why he kicked it in, to give us a start.”

Wilson, a former player with Lifford, moved to Ballybofey where he saw out the rest of his career before hanging up his boots to get involved in coaching the seniors last season.

Part of Luke Barrett’s minor management, he carried on with the club u-21s before taking the senior manager post this season.

Mac Cumhaills are a different proposition with and without Gallen – tipped to pick up an All-Star this season.

When he was missing against Naomh Conaill, defenders Kevin McGettigan and Finbar Roarty were the last men back but would attack when they were in possession.

“If Oisín is standing up front, you have to question if they would do that,” Wilson surmised. “They might try to drag him to the other end of the field but hopefully, he’d be a bit of a doubt in their head.

“Glenswilly deployed a really heavy, aggressive, low block,” he said of manager Gary McDaid’s plan for Gallen. “There was a bit of a mid-block, but a really heavy, aggressive low block. It would just stifle the space and they can just throw three or four men around him.”

The defeat to Glenswilly made no difference to the placings. A member of Wilson’s backroom team had a live table set up during the game with the latest scores from across the final day fed in. Regardless of the result, it was always going to be Gaoth Dobhair.

“Gaoth Dobhair are certainly a tough test and the other side of it is they have had it over us for as long as I can remember,” said Wilson before reciting a litany of times they got the better of MacCumhaills, back as far as his own playing days and the 2018 semi-final when they went all the way to the Ulster title.

“They’ll be looking at us saying, ‘this is going to be a routine victory.’ For us, it’s going to be an absolute mountain to climb to try to get the victory,” Wilson concluded.