‘It’s kamikaze at times, but we can live with that’ - Glenswilly's Bonner

When the Glenswilly players got back into their cars for the short journey home from Glenties after losing to Killybegs in their Division 1 relegation play-off last month, the mood was not good.

They’d just been relegated into Division 2 of the All County League after a one-point defeat, and aspirations of a run in the Senior Championship was probably far from their minds.

Fast forward five weeks, and Pauric Bonner’s side now find themselves just one game away from securing a place in the SFC quarter-finals.

Their form has been so impressive in their three championship games so far, not too many teams would fancy meeting them, if they do end up in the last eight.

They drew 2-8 to 1-11 with Naomh Conaill in their opening match, and after recording a good 2-12 to 0-13 win away to St Naul’s, got a second victory over Glenfin in Pairc Naomh Columba on Sunday on a 2-14 to 2-9 scoreline. Later in the day they were drawn away to Ardara in round four.

“Before all this, if you'd told me we would have five points after three games, I’d have taken the hand off you,” manager Bonner said.

What’s pleasing him most is the fact that in all three games to date, his team have racked up some big scores, hitting two goals in all three of their games, with players chipping in with points from all over the pitch.

“It can be kamikaze at times and sometimes it looks like that,” he said. “Our whole mantra is to get ahead of the ball, make yourselves dangerous at all times. It ends up that boys find themselves in positions they probably wouldn’t have found themselves in in years gone by and we’re asking them to take those scores.

“You’ve got quality around the team. Against Glenfin, Ryan Diver scored a point from the corner-back position, Shane McDaid scored a point and when they’re contributing, it helps the forwards.

“It can be a bit crazy at the back at times, but we’re willing to live with that if we can keep the scores coming.”

Going into Sunday’s game against Glenfin, both teams knew the importance of winning. The visitors may have lost their opening two matches narrowly to Killybegs and Gaoth Dobhair, but a win in Glenswilly would have kept alive faint hopes of finishing in a top eight spot.

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“We always say that every championship game is like a battle and these two neighbours were really going for it,” Bonner said. “Glenfin really needed a result to try and keep themselves in the championship. We dipped in the 15 minutes before half-time. But in the second half, the boys did well. They controlled the game in the second half and took some beautiful scores.”

Next up is Ardara but while Glenswilly will be expected to book a quarter-final place, Bonner is looking no further than this weekend.

“It’s down to Super Sunday or whatever they want to call it,” he said. “The way we have approached things since we lost to Killybegs in the relegation battle is that it’s one game at a time. 

“We wanted to go into the Naomh Conaill game to perform and to show ourselves that we weren’t the team that played against Killybegs that day. We did that. We then took on the game against St. Naul’s, and then the game against Glenfin. And now we are in the mix for the quarter finals. Last year we got ahead of ourselves and we have learned from that.”