Regrets at the end but pride in the progression for Mac Niallais and Gaoth Dobhair

With MacCumhaill Park having filtered out following their first of the Donegal SFC semi-finals and just the stragglers knocking about, a warm applause could be heard from the Gaoth Dobhair dressing room.

Inside, manager Ronan Mac Niallais was thanking his players and backroom for the efforts they had put in over the course of the season. The record books will show they reached the All-County Football League Division 1 final and exited the Donegal SFC at the semi-final stage. They had been pipped 0-8 to 0-7 by St Eunan’s in a contest many thought was headed for extra-time, with the side from Magheragallon having built up the late head of steam.

In 2023, Mac Niallais took his side to the final but although a round short of that this year, they feel more progress was made. Last October, they were five points to no score down against Naomh Conaill in the showpiece with 10 minutes played and lost 1-16 to 1-8, chasing for the most part. This season, they’ll ponder where they’re at for the next few weeks and get back at it come the new year.

“Last year we ended up getting hockeyed,” Mac Niallais said on Saturday. “This year, we played the other top team and brought them to a point. I fell we deserved at least extra-time out of it. I’m so proud of the lads and the work they put in, it’s been phenomenal between gym, pitch sessions and games. We started as far back as the Ulster League, with a lot of new players, many of whom were taken up from reserve level. It’s a very different team than the one who played the county final last year.

READ MORE: Meehan glad St Eunan's got over the line but stresses the need for improvement

The McGee brothers - Eamon, Neil and Peter - are part of the Senior B panel, as is Fearghal Delaney, who are in the county final, also against St Eunan's. Odhran Mac Niallais, Michael Carroll and Cian Mulligan are all away from last season alone. 

Odhran McFadden Ferry and Kieran Gillespie were out through injury and when you peel the pages further back, from the 20 players who played in the 2018 Ulster Club SFC final win over Scotstown, only five lined out against St Eunan’s - Gary McFadden, Niall Friel, Daire Ó Baoill, Eamon Collum and Seaghan Ferry. Many of those whom have departed since are among the finest players ever to represent the club. 

There have been stages of this season where Ronan Mac Niallais might've pressed the panic button but he stayed loyal to what he has. With back-to-back U-21A championships, the production line hasn't stopped and further output will come from under that. For example, when Donegal took on Fermanagh in the Ulster Minor Championship in April, they started with six Gaoth Dobhair players - Padraig McGee, captain Jordi Gribben, Dallan Ó Baoill and Cathal Gallagher, Cathal McGee and Colm Ó Dochairtaigh.

“There’s been a huge turnover,” the Gaoth Dobhair manager added. “But there is amazing work being put in at underage level and I appreciate that. These players have taken us to where we are, we’ve shown that we can still compete with the best and compete much better than we did last year. The aim was to stay in it against St Eunan’s and give ourselves a chance coming down the stretch. We didn’t want to be in a position, like last year, where the game had already got away from us.”

Immediately afterwards, Gaoth Dobhair thought of Shaun Patton - the Donegal and St Eunan’s goalkeeper - who made a vital late save from Cathal Gillespie, Ó Baoill’s long-range free that was narrowly wide after the same player had scored a monster free just beforehand and Eoin Dowling’s score for the Letterkenny side, which some claimed with the bare eye was over the top of the upright and therefore a wide.

At the time, it was difficult to see conclusively - no matter what the vantage point - although replays afterwards suggested the correct call was made by the officials for what turned out to be the St Eunan’s winner.

“We were two down at the break and we were happy enough and started to go for the game. We had a couple of key chances at the end,” Mac Niallais added. “The last score, it was hard to see as we were on the other side, but there was that much hesitation we thought it might be wide, or over the post, which is wide. We’ll see it later.

“Shaun Patton’s save was vital. We had some great play to work the opening. Looking back, even a point there would’ve done. Daire’s free was tough and having struck an unbelievable one just before, it was inches wide. It was a tight game and we felt on the line, as a team who tackle aggressively, that a few calls went against us. In a one-point game, it’s frustrating. I don’t think it cost us the game but it broke our momentum. But look, we had our chances to equalise so we’ll not be blaming anyone else.”