Stephen Griffin pleased to secure Division 2 status for another year

St Naul’s got the win they needed at the weekend to make sure that they stay in Division 2 for 2025 after a landslide victory over Na Rossa in Mountcharles.

The Parish of Inver side were promoted from Division 3 last year alongside Na Rossa but it has been a difficult year for both clubs with Na Rossa now being relegated after Sunday.

The focus for St Naul’s now turns to the senior championship as they entertain Glenswilly for the fourth year in-a-row on the opening weekend.

For St Naul’s player-manager, Stephen Griffin, it was a good day for his team as they hit 6-12 and the contest was over after the first 10 minutes when they banged home three goals.

"We needed to get two points to mathematically keep us out of the bottom. We needed to pull it off today because we have a lot of boys on holidays next week. We're playing Termon so we needed to get it wrapped up today,” said Griffin.

"That's that wee box ticked now so we can move on.

"There were a lot of goals. The game was open. We got a lot of goals and Na Rossa were short. And, like us, they played on Friday night and you can see the effects of that. Boys are tired.

"Like ourselves and Na Rossa, there are no massive numbers and two games is just tight going. They were short, we were short, but what can you do but get on with it.”

After the opening goal salvo the player-manager was able to depart the playing field as he felt a hamstring twinge and he directed affairs from then on from the sideline.

"It was just a matter of keeping ticking on after that. The second half then, you are trying to get fitness into some boys' legs. It was making a game day a training day. It was about keeping the thing ticking over.

"I'm glad to get the league wrapped up because it has been a hard league for us. I would say on average we were missing seven, eight players every game. You are obviously missing the three boys (Mulreany, Mogan and McCole) which is taken for granted, but it's the actual number that we were missing after that which has been a bigger problem.

"We had three or four injuries and then getting one back and losing one. We had a few suspensions. Every day we were missing that seven, eight players, which is a massive hole.”

Griffin agreed that the mind will switch now to the start of the club championship which is set for the second weekend in August.

"It has to now. It's the fourth year in-a-row and funny, it's the fourth year in-a-row in Mountcharles which is a strange one. We had some real humdingers with Glenswilly down the years. They are a good team and we went at them and they came at us. It was good. That is now something to look forward to in regard to the draw being done.

"There is going to be a big crowd here when you have the likes of Michael Murphy against Peadar Mogan and Brendan McCole and them boys. They are big attractions. Look, we'll get our heads down and gear towards that as best we can and we will try and get bodies back,” said Griffin.