Swilly Rovers on cusp of lifting Donegal League Division 1 title

Swilly Rovers have the chance to secure the Donegal Junior League Temple Domestic Appliances Division 1 title on Sunday if they can avoid defeat at home to nearest challengers Milford United.

From their 15 outings to date, Paul Callan and Laurence Toland’s side has accumulated a stunning 43 points. The one blemish, if you even want to call it that was a draw, midseason, away to Gweedore United.

With three games to go and nine points to play for, the gap between themselves and their weekend visitors is eight. And barring a collapse of catastrophic proportions, there is no doubt Swilly will be going back to the Premier Division for the first time since 1984/85 as champions.

Ulster Senior League tenants from 1985/86 right up until 2019, a difficult number of years in the competition where Swilly struggled for results and numbers, resulted in a decision reluctantly being made to rejoin the Donegal Junior League.

That switch though appears to have rejuvenated the club. They claimed the Division 2 title back in 2018/19 and are now on the verge of adding another huge piece of silverware to the cabinet.

Callan agrees there is a real buzz to matters once again in-and-around Swilly Park.

“A draw will see us over the line in regards to the title, “ Callan agreed. “The Premier Division, going up I mean, was the aim at the very start of the season. But the manner in which the lads have gone about achieving that has been brilliant. It’s lifted everyone. There is a real buzz there.

“Promotion has been achieved. But the run they’ve been on, it’s been so impressive. I mean, three games out, they really should target that - making it through the entire league campaign without losing. It would just be a nice wee exclamation mark on all of it”.

Milford United - with just two losses under their own belts - will probably wonder what more they could have possibly done this term to prevent Swilly’s relentless march. But, if they can stall or even deny Rovers lifting the title in front of them, that will be a potent motivation.

“They are an excellent side,” said Callan. “To be fair, going around the county we’ve had some brilliant battles. We haven’t been handed any results. As well as Milford, the likes of Gweedore, Donegal Town… even Letterkenny Rovers, we’d some really tight battles.

“We’ve kinda taken every game as it’s come. I know that’s what they all say but we haven’t really looked too far down the track. Obviously, like I said, we spoke about our aims at the start of the season.

“Laurence has been excellent with how he’s setting up the side and they haven’t been allowed to rest on their laurels. We’ve been fortunate enough that the interest has stayed there - probably because we’ve been picking up results.

“Our numbers have been good every single night. We’ve a few lads that have Gaelic football looming on the horizon but all that will dovetail nicely for them. We weren’t out last Sunday, it was a weekend off. But everything, for the past two weeks, has been geared towards Milford at home.

“They’ll be up for it - they won’t want to have to stand around and see us lift the title. So it should be a cracking game. We’ll have a nice week crowd there too backing us”.