Luke Gavigan enjoying being back in a MacCumhaills jersey

Former Donegal U-20 captain Luke Gavigan is back in the MacCumhaills fold and there is no doubt he’s adding a little steel and guile at No. 6 for Gary Wilson’s young guns. 

Gavigan had been living and playing in Dublin but he’s permanently based in the north-west once more and he was instrumental in helping the Twin Towns outfit to a fine league win over Naomh Conaill on Sunday. 

“We’re really happy to dig out that result and get the two points over a good Naomh Conaill side,” he said on that 1-10 to 0-10 victory. 

“At the start of the year, we said we’d really target our home games - even the ones against the so-called big guns. 

“We wouldn’t be getting carried away - it probably was a bigger game for us than it was for Glenties. But it’s still a confidence-booster and good to stay in that hunt for a possible league final spot”.

Gaoth Dobhair continue to lead the way in the All-County League top tier with 18 points on the board with one game left - a home tangle with Kilcar. 

Second-placed St Eunan’s are on 16 points and their final outing, this Friday night, is away to St Michael’s. 

MacCumhaills currently occupy third position on 15 points but have two games left to play, home to Downings and away to rivals Glenfin. 

Holders Naomh Conaill and Kilcar are joint fourth, on 14 points but both have three games left to play. 

The Glenties men have Glenswilly at home, Aodh Ruadh away and Malin at home to look forward to. Meanwhile, Kilcar are gearing up for run-in games with Glenfin away, St Michael’s at home and Gaoth Dobhair away. 

So Gavigan is right when he says any one of that five could yet make the decider. 

“We’ll just have to see. Winning today was crucial in keeping that ambition alive. It would be a massive thing to make a Division 1 decider. We’d need a result or two to go our way maybe before the end but who knows. 

“We just have to make sure we get over the line in our last two games against Downings and, of course, a derby one with Glenfin. We’ve a two-week break now so we’ll look at all that a little closer then. 

“The landscape for the rest of summer also becomes a little clearer too in the middle of next week with the club championship draw”. 

And on being back in the thick of it on home soil, he said: “I enjoyed my time with Lucan Sarsfields and I learned a lot. 

“But I’m back at home now and it’s probably the first time the body has felt this good in a few years. So I’m enjoying my football and it’s all very positive. 

“We’re so lucky right now with the management team and the work they’re putting in. I won't list them off but there is a huge effort being put in, many hours away from the field and training field, and we appreciate all of that”.