‘One of our best performances in a while’ - Ryan McHugh

Kilcar had a much easier than expected passage to the quarter-finals than expected when they overran Glenswilly in Towney on Sunday to win by  4-20 to 1-10.

The game was competitive for the first quarter but thereafter the Glenswilly challenge faded. There was nothing of the once-famous rivalry between these clubs on view.

Goals by Ryan O’Donnell and Ciaran McGinley had Kilcar comfortably ahead at half-time and if anything they were more dominant in the second half.

The driving force behind the win came from veteran midfielder Ciaran O’Donnell and county star Ryan McHugh, who was really pleased with the win which secured their place in the top four and a week off before the quarter-finals.

"First and foremost delighted to get the win. I would agree it was one of our best performances in a while.  Going into a match you always strive to get a good performance and thankfully we got that today and thankfully we got the win in the end,” said McHugh.

"But listen, Glenswilly were short a couple of players with the big one being Michael Murphy. He's a massive player for them and I suppose that hampered their preparations. But we can only focus on ourselves and we're delighted to get over the line.”

Kilcar were a little slow out of the blocks but once they got going and found the net twice, the result was never really in doubt, it was all about the margin.

"Yeah the goals were important and maybe we felt we could have been more ahead at half-time as Conor Doherty was through and Ryan McShane came across him and then we had a ball turned over and it ended up a goal at the other end. But football is small wee margins like that.

"But listen, we regrouped at half-time and we knew Glenswilly would come at us. I suppose they banked on getting two pointers in the second half but that didn't go for them when it could on another day that could be a different game.

"But as I say, we're delighted; we put in a great performance and it's something we can build on for the next day."

McHugh felt that Kilcar fared better in winning ball around the middle of the field in the second half and that was the platform for their success. "Football now is all about possession and it's hard to get turnovers and I think that's what really set us going in the second half. We were able to win our kick-outs and then were able to show our pace. Ryan O'Donnell had a great game; Ryan McShane had a good game and Andrew McClean coming from deep put great pace into it.”

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There was probably something in the memory bank of Kilcar about having a big lead as they led Downings by 10 points just a couple of weeks ago in Towney but let it slip.

"To be honest it was mentioned but it has happened to this team a couple of times; it happened last year against St Michael's. But look, we try not to look at the past. To be fair Mark Sweeney and his backroom team have come in this year and given it a great freshness and we're really looking to the future and what this year can bring us.”

McHugh is hopeful that a couple of injuries picked up recently will clear up for the quarter-final, most notably Eoin McHugh, who suffered a foot injury in the game against Downings.

"Hopefully, we can have Eoin back and Pauric Carr too because we are a small parish and a small pool of players and hopefully we have made the top four and we'll be delighted to have a week off.”