“We’re quietly confident and we’re not finished yet” - Sinclair

“We didn’t give up. That’s what I admired about it. We kept getting hit with all sorts of stuff that kept knocking us back. But they replied well and kept going at it and going at it, which is a sign of a good attitude. Once we have that we are going forward, which is great,” was the immediate response of Four Masters manager, Kevin Sinclair, after watching his side come from behind to snatch the win in the Marley Travel Division 2 title at MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey on Saturday.

Behind by 0-6 to 0-2 at half-time and lucky for the deficit to be only four points, the Four Masters boss agreed that he was happy to get them in at the break.

“Yeah, we were. We made a couple of substitutions at half-time which were harsh on the two boys that were taken off but it was for the balance of the team. The forwards were lucky to stay on. I  felt for Aiden McHugh and Aaron McCrea, who weren’t doing badly at all.

“Richard (O’Rourke) going to the half-back line was one of the things that made a difference in the game,” said Sinclair, who agreed that the young boys that came on (Seanán Carr and David Monaghan) did very well. He also felt that young Calum McCrea did well coming on later.

“We always knew that. They were unlucky not to start, they were on holidays during the week and we were trying to keep standards right. If you don’t train during the week, you don’t start. Look, they came on and played their part and helped us get over the line and that’s what it’s about.

“It is good for us to get up to Division 1 after a tough battle like that and prepare for the championship down the line now.”

There will always be a degree of expectation at the Four Masters club now largely due to the great success at underage in recent years but Sinclair has a practical view.

“Expectation is for everybody else. We will do as well as we can and we are happy with the way things are proceeding. We have a lot of lads finding their feet at senior football. We have a great batch of young fellas in behind there who are unlucky not to be in the senior panel. We are building that and they will get their chance too.

“Hopefully, we are going the right way. We like to think we are. But look, that was a tough battle today. Buncrana are in a similar position to us with young players and some experience. No doubt Caolan (McGonagle) was a big loss to them but I think big Jason (Duignan) was a big loss to us. He was on a black card, which we thought was harsh,” said Sinclair referring to Buncrana losing their county star early in the game due to injury.

But he had praise for his goalscorer, who took his chance when it arose. “You have to give it to Paddy Reid. He got in there on the end of one and finished it very well. He can take a score, Paddy. In fairness I thought he was exceptional when he came in. He has come back and he’s got his fitness up to speed. He played a few games with the Reserves and I thought he was magnificent today. He caught a few balls and gave us that platform.

“We are delighted. We had good performances all round the field, eventually. People expect us to be this and expect us to be that. We’re quietly confident of what we can achieve this season and we’re not finished yet, hopefully,” said Sinclair.