Downings' top flight destiny in their own hands as they head for Buncrana

"We're going to turn up anyway!" quipped Downings mentor, Anthony Boyle, this week about their important Division 2 league game against Buncrana at The Scarvey on Saturday evening.

The big decisions at the top and bottom of Division 2 will be decided with the final round of games and Downings are involved in a great battle in the promotion race. Malin are guaranteed promotion but not the title, while MacCumhaill's and Milford are still in the race.

However, the second promotion place can be sealed by Downings if they can win in Buncrana. MacCumhaill's play St Naul's at home and are strong favourites to win but they lost their league game against Downings and would lose out on the head to head if both win.

Waiting in the wings are Milford, who are guaranteed a shot at promotion in the play-off whether that be against MacCumhaill's or local neighbours Downings.

"It's a 50/50 race,” says Boyle. “If we win we go up automatically. MacCumhaill's at home are tipped to beat St Naul's. So we know what we have to do."

Boyle says it will be his first time in Buncrana with a team: "We have a few boys in the States (Ronan Gallagher, Pauric McGinty and Ross Cullen) and since the ground got harder, we have a few boys with injuries. We will not know our starting team until nearer the weekend."

It has been a very good season for Downings after a bad start. "We started very poorly and got a very bad beating in Malin. And then we had a very poor half against Fanad down in Fanad. Cookie (Kevin Gallagher, manager) spoke to them firmly, to put it diplomatically, at half-time in the Fanad game and the boys responded and raised the bar a bit and tried to keep it up there."

Boyle says that the target is to win and go up automatically but that they wouldn't be too worried if it went to the play-off.
"That would be excellent preparation for the championship and if against Milford, it would be a local derby. Division 2 has been excellent. I have been very impressed with the standard and it is interesting right up to the last day."

Boyle feels it has helped that Downings did not have any county panellists and also did not have All-Ireland Gaeltacht involvement this year. Boyle himself has only been involved with the club for a couple of years and it has been a busy time, winning the Donegal Junior title and reaching an Ulster junior club final. And now a year later in the race for promotion to the top flight.

Promotion for Downings would see them back in Division 1 for the first time since the early 1990s. Downings legend Hughie McClafferty thinks they got promoted to Division 1 in 1982 and were there until around 1991.