Dungloe manager Dessie Gallagher says IFC final could be ‘a real cracker’

Much has been made on Dungloe's near miss in the first match of last year's Donegal IFC final and how they should have won on the first day against Cloughaneely.

The fact that they did not perform in the replay would equal loads of stung pride and spur them to go one better against Naomh Columba on Saturday. But while they will no doubt draw lessons from that experience, team manager Dessie Gallagher is adamant that it will have no bearing on Saturday's big test. Gallagher was team boss last year but insists that this year is different.

“Last year was our first year at it in the Intermediate championship after coming down from senior,” he said. “The boys were and are very young and they were just delighted to get winning games in the Intermediate championship, and they were not doing it in the senior championship. This year we took it one game at a time, and we are not using last year as motivation.

“We have three or four more young lads in this year, and it is a young side with our captain Conor O'Donnell who is only 22”. As well as youth, Dungloe have plenty more to draw up ahead of Saturday’s final at O’Donnell Park. “Darren, Barry and Mark Curran are more experienced, and Darren is the oldest and he is still only 26,” Gallagher added. “Barry is 24 and Mark is 23”.
Dungloe had a really tough test against Termon in the semi-final which could stand to them on Saturday. Eventually, the Roses side won out by four points to make it back-to-back final appearances.

“It was 0-11 to 0-7 and it was hard to break down their defence,” Gallagher added. “We had a poor League with injuries, but we have been gradually building as the boys were all back in time for the championship and they are all buzzing”.
And now they face an equally buzzing Naomh Columba in what could be a cracking final between two gifted teams.

“Naomh Columba and us are in the same Division and they beat us, but we beat them in the Intermediate Championship semi-finals last year,” Gallagher added. “But Glen are a different side this year and Paddy J McGinley has them going very well.
“They are firing much better and Aaron Doherty is a really great player and Lanty Molloy is coming off the bench which is pretty effective for them.

“Christopher Byrne, Kevin McNern, Fionn Gallagher, Ryan Gillespie and Eric Carr are all top- notch performers”.
Gallagher watched Glen against both Buncrana and Gaeil Fhanada in the last two rounds - winning on respective scorelines of 3-13 to 0-11 and 4-11 to 2-9 - and was highly impressed.

“Glen are rattling in goals and that is their big thing, and they are very hard to stop as they have good runners coming from the back,” Gallagher added. “They are very skillful and will be very hard to stop. But whatever team turns up on the day will prevail. The last time we won the Intermediate Championship was in 1986 but this Glen team will have savage hunger and we will have to match them. It could be a real cracker”.