Stephen Cassidy says Gweedore United ‘will give anyone a game’

Stephen Cassidy believes that Gweedore United have the capabilities to make life difficult for some of Division One’s perceived bigger guns.

The Carrickboyle men climbed out of Division Two in April thanks to a dramatic win over Kerrykeel 71 Club.

Cassidy is at the helm now and, although they lost 2-0 at Bonagee United on Friday, he headed west with confidence high.

“There were plenty of encouraging signs against a really good side,” Cassidy told Donegal Live. “I thought that we contested really well.

Jason Gibson guards Bonagee United against ‘acting the big shots’

"It’s Bonagee United we’re playing for so we need to have a bit of manners and respect the Division we’re in."

“We tried a different system and we have a couple of new boys who haven’t really trained with us. We started quite late, but we have a lot of positives to take from that.”

Cassidy has yet to welcome the likes of Ethan Harkin, Niall Friel, Gary McFadden and Stephen ‘Donna’ McFadden back into his ranks.

In 2006, Cassidy netted a goal in the final to give Gaoth Dobhair victory in the Donegal senior football championship and he also turned out for the Donegal senior footballers.

Having taken a Gweedore United underage side from their formative days in the schoolboys academy, Pól McGee coaxed him into the senior job this summer.

He said: “I’ll give it a go and I’m enjoying it. If we get our full squad up to speed with everyone there and we’ll give anyone a game. For me, the league is wide open and it’s a good Division.”

With some of their Ulster Senior League artillery still in tow, Bonagee - via goals from Jordan Armstrong and Deano Larkin - took the win.

Many are tipping Bonagee and Letterkenny to be filling the top two spots by season’s end, but Cassidy doesn’t believe it will be so straightforward.

He said: “It was a bit of a baptism of fire. We had a couple of local friendlies, but the Brian McCormick Cup would’ve been ideal as a sort of pre-season. It’s competition with a bit of bite with local derbies too.

“We fear nobody, especially at home. We put it up to that side and they’ve Ulster Senior League lads. Everyone is saying that it’ll be Bonagee and Letterkenny for the top two and then it’s the rest of us. They’ll get a good challenge in Carrickboyle, that’s for sure.”