Martin Regan: Naomh Conaill ‘not too far from where we want’

As the heavens prepared to open above him, Martin Regan had a cold look about him.

Regan is in his eighth campaign as Naomh Conaill manager and they’re looking forward to a seventh final under his watch.

Consistency has been their calling card and Regan could be content with how his side saw off Gaoth Dobhair.

There were only two points in it, 0-13 to 1-8, at the end of Sunday’s semi-final, but Domhnaill Mac Giolla Bhríde’s late goal skewed the scoreboard somewhat.

Naomh Conaill oust Gaoth Dobhair to reach sixth successive SFC final

Naomh Conaill used their big game nous to defeat Gaoth Dobhair in the first of the Donegal SFC semi-finals

“We were pushed to the pin of our collar and I was very pleased with how we finished the game,” Regan said.

“We aren’t too far away from where we want to get to.”

Gavin McBride’s free had Gaoth Dobhair on level terms, 0-7 apiece, and it was looking like an arm wrestle might ensue.

Instead, Naomh Conaill clipped the game’s next six points, spurred by a stylish brace from Odhran Doherty.

Regan said:” We kicked on after Gaoth Dobhair got level and we kicked four or five very good points when the game opened up a bit. That ten minute spell or so made the difference for us. We kicked some really important scores and didn’t miss much in that time.

“We started the game very poorly and we made a lot of mistakes. We were turned over a lot in possession when we shouldn’t have been.

“We finished the first half pretty well and we were happy with that period. We were happy with where we were at half-time, but we have up that lead in the first few minutes of the second half.

“Gaoth Dobhair were good, but a lot of the time we went in to tackles where we shouldn’t have. That did improve as the game went on. We kept the ball better in the second half.”

Naomh Conaill led 0-6 to 0-4 at half-time with Gaoth Dobhair having enjoyed a lot of possession in the opening half-an-hour.

Despite seeing Leo McLoone pick up a knock in the warm-up and John O’Malley ruled out through sickness, Naomh Conaill showed their strength, even when Brendan McDyer had to limp off.

Regan said: “It is a credit to the squad that we have and the numbers that we have.

“We were down a lot of our forwards, but the lads who came in were brilliant: Hughie (Gallagher), ‘Pirate’ (Stephen Molloy), Marty Boyle and Daniel Gildea, really stepped up and drove us over the line.

“We are all one big family. The older boys are really driving things on, but the younger lads and lads who haven’t played much are really driving the older boys. They keep things going in training. We have a good squad and a good atmosphere.”

A familiar foe - either St Eunan’s or Kilcar - will oppose them on October 9 in Ballybofey. Time was when county finals were the stuff of dreams around Davy Brennan Memorial Park. Now, the march behind the band has become an annual date.

Regan said: “We’re delighted to be there and we’ll prepare hard over the next two weeks.

“They’re a hungry group. They are ambitious and they want to succeed. We’ve lost a lot of finals too. We’ve had good days and bad days, but it’s great to be in the final. We’ll put our best foot forward now and look forward to it.”