Donegal  GAA Masters on a mission to reach All-Ireland Plate final this Saturday

Donegal GAA Masters team are on the road this Saturday when they travel to Cavan to take on Kildare in the All-Ireland Masters Plate semi-final. The game is fixed for Drumlane (which is close to Belturbet) with a 1 pm throw-in.

The other semi-final sees London take on Down

Francie Martin’s charges are hoping to go one step further, having shown good form after a slow start to the season.

They lost their opening two matches against Tyrone and Derry, but since then have recorded three wins and a draw.

There is something of a dilemma for a good number of the Donegal panel this Saturday as they are also involved with their clubs  in championship action in the various  Donegal championships, but Francie  Martin is hopeful that most of them will be available for the All-Ireland semi-final.

Kildare qualified for the semi-final by winning a play-off game against Sligo and Martin has got some feedback from the Sligo lads on that game.

“We are being told that Kildare have two big midfielders and two very good inside forwards so we will have to be on our toes,” he says.

“We would have met Kildare a few times in recent years and we were always able to get the better of them but Saturday is a new game and anything can happen on the day.

“We have nine or 10 injured players at the moment but I would be hoping that we can field a fairly strong side. It’s just a pity that it wasn’t next weekend when there are no senior club championship games in Donegal.

“But unfortunately there is a clash and it is difficult to ask players to play two games. And in the case of Four Masters against Glenswilly, where we have a number of players involved, that game is at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

“We have the likes of Eamon Ward of Glenswilly and Conor McShane, Four Masters who would have been playing against each other as well as Gerard McBrearty and Enda Bonner but they are giving the commitment to Donegal Masters,” said Martin.

“You also have the likes of Shaun Maguire of Cloughaneely, who is still playing senior for his club. We can’t do much about the fixture, we just have to go with it.”

The seniors were due to  have their last training session on Wednesday night and Martin was fairly confident of fielding a strong team and also very hopeful of making the All-Ireland final.