Gary Wilson: 'We have learned a lot as a young team and we have more to learn still'

Sean MacCumhaills boss Gary Wilson feels that despite failing to get the result he and his side wanted on Saturday night against Naomh Conaill, he’s adamant that the Twin Towns club is in a healthy position going forward. 

MacCumhaills came into the weekend with full points on the board after picking up wins over Ardara at home and Killybegs away, while Naomh Conaill we trying to bounce back from their defeat to St Eunan’s the week previous. 

And it was the county champions who emerged from MacCumhaill Park on Saturday victorious as they ramped up matters in the third and final quarter with two late goals helping them run out 14-point winners in the end on a 2-13 to 0-5 point scoreline. 

“I suppose overall there’s disappointment in our camp at the minute, but in fairness to Naomh Conaill they really brought a good intensity to the game, their game was through the roof,” Wilson said outside the MacCumhaill Park dressing room after the match. 

And while MacCumhaills welcomed back Eoin Gallen and Luke Gavigan to the squad, the absence of Oisin Gallen and Joel Bradley Walsh is evident, with Wilson pleased that his side are in the position they’re in without their star county player Gallen. 

“We’re sad at the moment but we haven’t become a bad team in 60 minutes, we’re still in this championship, and we’re doing all this with only having Oisin Gallen for a minute too so far in this campaign,” he said.  

“If someone said to me that we would have four points out of a potential six without having Oisin on the field for three games, I would probably snap their hand off. 

“We’re still in a good place, so, we’ll regroup and refocus . . . we’re not out of this championship yet.” 

Late goals from Naomh Conaill’s Neil Francis Boyle and Kevin McGettigan may have widened the gap in the end, but Wilson was happy that his team troubled the county champions for long periods. 

“Anytime you can go out onto the field and test Naomh Conaill for large periods, that’s great and it’s a great learning for us. We’re a very young team, and we’re still learning and developing and trying to reach a goal which we’re not at yet,” the MacCumhaills manager said. 

“Like Naomh Conaill are seasoned and have men out there with six or seven county medals in their back pockets. I mean there’s young lads on the Naomh Conaill team who may have been only playing for the club for two years and they already have two county medals, so that’s where they’re at. 

“We’ll take stock of this match and take the learnings from it and realise that we’re still in a good place.” 

With MacCumhaills being touted as one of the clubs in Donegal that can make that breakthrough and challenge the top-four teams of Kilcar, Gaoth Dobhair, St Eunan’s, and Naomh Conaill, he feels his side can compete with the best teams on any given day. 

“I think there’s a great overall belief that we’re as good as any team in Donegal on any given day,” he said. 

“Like we talk about this top four, but we beat Naomh Conaill and Kilcar in the league. Look we know that league and championship football are two different things and this time of year brings its own small bit of pressure, but we know what we’re at and where we want to get to. 

“The question being asked of us is that, can we do it and beat these teams in the championship? That’s the next step for us. We had a chance to beat a top side like Naomh Conaill in the championship and we didn’t get it done. 

“But in the overall context, I think we’re in a good and healthy spot as a senior team. We have learned loads and we have more to learn.”