Glenswilly's Caoimhin Marley says it's now 'pure championship football'

Last year when Glenswilly rolled out of Davy Brennan Memorial Park, all that was confirmed was their relegation from Division 1 of the All-County Football League.

A limp 0-10 to 0-9 loss against Killybegs meant Glenswilly would have to plot ahead for 2023 in Division 2. Glenswilly worked it well though, winning all but one of their regulation fixtures - they lost out in the last which was, for them, a dead-rubber against Buncrana - before clinching the title with victory over Naomh Columba back in Glenties.

Since then, Pauric Bonner’s side are three from three in the Donegal SFC, with their latest victory the 1-12 to 0-9 success on Sunday when Dungloe came to Pairc Naomh Columba. Glenswilly perhaps weren’t at their best, although are top of the 16-team pool three games in. However, the draw couldn’t be much harder, with a trip back to Glenties on Saturday to play the current Donegal SFC holders Naomh Conaill.

“You were never going to get an easy draw and as it turns out we got the toughest one possible,” Marley said on Sunday.

Last season the pair met twice in the SFC, an early draw in Glenswilly before Naomh Conaill’s experience eventually came out on top in the quarter-final in Letterkenny, overturning a two-point interval deficit to win 2-10 to 0-10.

For Glenwilly, it’s about building blocks. On Sunday, at half-time, their victorious U-15 Division 2 panel and U-13 Division 1 champions were paraded at half-time, the latter - a free-flowing team who kicked 1-21 against Four Masters in the final - being the club’s first-ever underage A title winners.

Those lads will truck their way up through the grades, although the senior team has already seen the benefits of the structures in place, with the likes of Daithi Gildea, Donal Gallagher and Jake Kelly all impressing against Dungloe.

“It was a very similar game here in the league,” Marley added of the 0-14 to 0-10 win earlier this season. “We know Dungloe well at this stage and they never make it easy for you. This new format works - with the top four going straight through and the others left to fight it out as it means every game has something on it.

“For someone in our position, three wins would’ve guaranteed a quarter-final place in years gone by, but it leaves a more exciting last weekend. We’ll probably need a result the way it’s looking. Last year when we went to Glenties and lost to Killybegs, it was all doom and gloom but if you ask anyone now, it was probably for the best.

“Division 2 helped the confidence levels and you could see that today with Daithi and those other lads. He drove us on and none of them shy away from it at this level. They’re always looking for the ball and that’s a very good thing. They’re playing brilliantly. It’ll be a big ask for us all this weekend, especially with the fact it’s Naomh Conaill and if you play anyone in this championship, especially away, they don’t want to give you an inch. It’s pure championship football.”