Naomh Brid determined to stay in second tier

Naomh Brid are back playing in the second division of the Donegal All-County League and they are determined to stay there according to their manager Sean Maher.

Johnny Maher, as he is better known in his native Westmeath, is the club’s new senior team boss. He took over from Aidan Murray at the beginning of the season.

The Aodh Ruadh clubman led them back to the second tier of Donegal football, at the end of last season, after ten terms in Division 3.

“After promotion last season the goal this year is to retain our Division 2 status and build from there,” said the new man calling the shots at Trummon. “Our overall aspiration, given the talent we have in the team, is much higher than just retaining our status.

“The aim is to be in the top half of the table, at the end of the season. We have a good squad of players though with a couple of retirements we are lacking in experience.

“Sean Gormley, who was ever present in the team for years, has retired. Declan McCafferty was to retire too but because of a number of injuries he has played in the last couple of weeks. Just to bail us out.

“We have few long term injuries as well. Clint Walsh, Darren McCleary and Aaron McCrea are sidelined for the foreseeable future and we have four or five players nursing injuries at the moment”.

He added: “I have a good management team in Stephen Doherty and John Murphy. Stephen is a local and is a passionate Naomh Brid man and John is from Derrygonnelly, but living locally.”

Maher himself brings a wealth of experience to Naomh Brid from his playing days with the Shandonagh club in Westmeath and St Kevin’s, in Castlereagh, Roscommon and managing Elphin seniors, also in Roscommon.

Naomh Brid are two games into the new season and have suffered two defeats to Dungloe and Naomh Columba, both away. Dungloe were ten-point 2-12 to 0-8 winners on the first day of the new season in Rosses Park. And last weekend Naomh Brid went down to Naomh Columba, 4-9 to 1-9, in Pairc Na nGael.

“Division 2 is a different kettle of fish and a much higher standard of football and is a very competitive with a number of top quality teams. We played Dungloe in our first game in Dungloe and they are one of the top teams.

“We competed well with them for most of the game. But the game turned in the last ten minutes or so. We were only a few points behind and staying with them when we smashed the ball off the crossbar and they broke up the field from the clearance and scored a goal at the other end.

“You could say it was a six point swing in the space of a couple of minutes. Our lads' heads dropped after that and Dungloe pulled away.

“That is where experience comes in. The young lads who had done well up to that point just lacked the experience to take the goal miss on the chin and drive on again.

“It was a similar story last weekend against Naomh Columba, the lack of experience saw us cough up a few goals. But the lads will have learned from the last two games and gained invaluable experience.”

It may be early in the season but Naomh Brid have more than their share of injuries and, coupled with a number of notable retirements, it is more or less a new look Naomh Brid team that has featured in the opening two games.

“We are a bit stretched at present but hopefully we will have most of the players back in the near future. So it is a case of biding our time in the next couple of weeks until all the players return”.

Naomh Brid are on the road again this weekend when they face an inform Red Hughs, in Killygordon. Red Hugh’s have won their two games so far with impressive victories over Four Masters and Letterkenny Gaels.