'The league is far from over but we're happy with where we are' - Stephen McConnell

There are wins, and then there are derby wins that come with a little extra spice, the kind that leave you walking out of the ground with a spring in your step and a grin that lingers until at least Tuesday.  

Letterkenny Rovers had one of those afternoons on Sunday as they saw off Bonagee United 3-0 at Leckview Park, a result that sends them top of the Brian McCormick Sports Premier Division. 

Manager Stephen McConnell wasn’t hiding what it meant. 

“It was a huge result which puts us top of the table,” he said. “We fell away recently leaving us with a few games in hand with some cup runs, but we’re where we want to be now and we’re happy with that.” 

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That Rovers finished the game in control belied how they started it.  

For all the assumptions that come with facing 10 men for an hour, they had their hands full for long stretches.  

The game pivoted on the 25th-minute dismissal of Bonagee’s Gareth Breslin, sent off after a melee near the touchline. But if anyone thought that would make the afternoon a stroll for Letterkenny, they were mistaken. 

“Sometimes when you get a red card, the team then kicks into gear a bit more, and I felt up to half-time that they were the better side,” McConnell admitted. “We had chances but I felt they were hungrier looking.” 

Rovers weren’t exactly poor in the first half, but for all their possession, they didn’t truly take control until after the break.  

Bonagee, defiant in adversity, even threatened to take the lead before Lee McMonagle broke the deadlock close to the hour mark. Once that went in, though, the dynamic shifted. 

“I felt the first goal put us in the driving seat,” McConnell said. “Obviously, it’s a derby and anything can happen, you have two teams who are up for it in a feisty game, but it’s never decided.  

“Once we got the second goal, I felt a bit easier, but at the same time, they came at us late and I felt a bit nervous, but the third goal sealed it and put us top of the league.” 

The second goal, when it came, had more than a stroke of good fortune about it. A long punt forward from Mark Anthony McGinley took a favourable bounce, allowing BJ Banda to round Andrew Nicholls and stroke home.  

The third, deep in injury time, was the insurance policy, Nathan Plumb pressing high to rob a Bonagee defender before rolling the ball home. 

It was the final act of a second half in which Rovers did everything McConnell had demanded of them at half-time. 

“We addressed it at half time and thankfully we came out in the second half guns blazing and got the result.” 

And now they sit where they want to be at the top. There are still plenty of twists left in the title race, but as far as Rovers are concerned, this was a big one in their favour. 

“The league is far from over but to win a derby like that there, there’s a good feeling and we’re very happy with the result, especially that second-half performance.”