Unity and ambition continue to drive Kildrum Tigers each season

The Donegal football season rarely grants breathing space, and Kildrum Tigers know it better than most.  

This weekend, their focus shifts from league duties to the Ulster Cup, where a quarter-final against Kilmacrennan awaits. And for Jonny McGinty’s side, it’s an opportunity to reset and refocus, with both league aspirations and cup ambitions still very much in play. 

“I think if you look at the league this season, all the teams we’ve played are more or less the same in terms of being competitive,” McGinty observes, reflecting on a campaign defined by narrow margins and a congested table. 

The Tigers’ most recent outing, a 0-0 stalemate against Letterkenny Rovers at Leckview Park, typified the season’s challenges. 

“Our last league game against Letterkenny Rovers showed how tough those games are where it can just be a toss of a coin on the day in who wins,” McGinty says. “There wasn’t much letup from either team and that’s probably why it ended 0-0. 

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“We probably had the better chances on the day, but there was nothing in it. We played Rovers at the start of the season and that game ended 0-0 too and could’ve gone either way as well. It was the same type of game against Bonagee in the league and Kilmacrennan too, they’re all really tough battles.” 

Sitting five points off the top of the league in third, Kildrum’s aspirations remain alive, but McGinty knows consistency will be key as they look to win back the Premier Division league title they last held in 2018.  

“Looking at this season, we know we have a long way to go before the league ends, but if we can put three or four wins together now, we know that we’ll be right in the mix,” he asserts.  

“We’re only five points off the top, and we’re used to being in the top three nearly every year, so we just need to hit a bit of form and put pressure on the other teams.” 

“Unfortunately, because of where we’re at, and because we’re five points off the top, one slip-up and that could be our season over.” 

In something that can be so topsy-turvy like the Donegal Premier Division, over the past decade and longer, Kildrum has been ever present near the top, something McGinty puts down to unity within the squad, forged over years of playing together. 

“I think for the past 10 years, apart from one or two new players joining, we’ve had the same 12 to 13 players playing with us every season,” McGinty explains.  

“We have a core group who are really tight, and we’re all from St Johnston, so we all know each other. We grew up together, and on the field, we all work for each other.” 

And with the league halting for the week, Kildrum Tigers now look to progress in the Ulster Cup where they will face a team that only sits one point behind them in the league in Kilmacrennan.  

“We try and do well in any competition we’re in, and the Ulster Cup is no different,” the Kildrum coach admitted.  

“We lost in the Area final to Castlefin, which was disappointing, but we’ve been to a few cup semi-finals over the past five years or so. We just hope now that we can get over the line against Kilmacrennan and push on in the competition.” 

With their league campaign finely balanced and a cup run still within reach, Kildrum Tigers face a pivotal stretch in their season. McGinty’s squad may be familiar, but their ambition remains as strong as ever.