KEVIN CASSIDY: Then there were four

WE are down to the semi-finals here in Donegal with four more teams falling by the wayside last weekend.

We have St Michael’s, Gaoth Dobhair, Naomh Conaill and Four Masters as the last four standing.

We had a couple of very interesting clashes last weekend, none more so than the men from Glenties against Termon, the league champions.

Termon did all that was asked of them, turning in a fantastic performance against the former champions but a goal and a point with the last kicks of the game saw Naomh Conaill steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

Termon will feel hard done by having played all of the football but that’s championship football for you. It’s not over till it’s over and Glenties now sit as favourites to win this year’s title. It’s up to the other three teams to change that.

Gaoth Dobhair and Kilcar played out a very exciting game on Saturday evening. It was a contest that ebbed and flowed with both teams having good spells. Overall, Gaoth Dobhair were the better team and ran out winners.

They now face a tough game against St Michael’s who hit 20 points or more for the third successive game in the championship.

They have been scoring heavily in this year’s championship and with Michael Langan pulling the strings at midfield they are a force to be reckoned with. They tore MacCumhaill’s to pieces last weekend and will now fancy their chances of going the whole way in this year’s championship.

Four Masters also had a very impressive win against last year’s county finalists Dungloe, beating them by 10 points. It was double scores. We have been talking about this Four Masters team for a while now and this year they seem to be coming of age.

They have some of the best young talent in the county in their ranks and with four excellent forwards they will be a match for anyone on their day.

They play Glenties in their semi-final and it’s a real case of the new kids on the block against the old dogs for the hard road so this one will be interesting to say the least.

Four Masters also have the pace and power but Glenties have the experience and know=how. It’s a really tough one to call but something tells me that this young Four Masters team are going to be a force to be reckoned with this year. So, for that reason, I’ll go with a Four Masters win.

In our game against St Michael’s anything could happen. As previously mentioned, St Michael’s are scoring for fun. If Gaoth Dobhair can slow that scoring down, then they will have a chance but that’s easier said than done.

A lot will depend on the kind of influence Michael Langan has on the game. We saw at county level just how good this man can be.

It will be up to Gaoth Dobhair to try and curb his influence on the game to stand any chance at all of winning.

Gaoth Dobhair have played in bits and pieces in this year’s championship so they will be fully aware that a full 60-minute performance will be needed this weekend if they want to reach the decider.

It’s a tough one to call and St Michael’s are probably slight favourites but I’ll have to let my heart rule my head on this one. I’ll go with a Gaoth Dobhair win.

Elsewhere, all over the province, things are heating up as teams make their final push for glory in the various counties. Long live the club championships.