Lagan Harps withdraw Sunday team from DJL Premier Division

Lagan Harps have withdrawn from the Brian McCormick Premier Division for the upcoming 2025/26 season.

The Orchard Park men had been on the rise through the Sunday divisions again in recent years, winning the 2022/23 Division 2 title before spending the last two years in the second tier.

After finishing third in Division 1 last season, the young Manorcunningham side defeated Gweedore Celtic 4-0 in the promotion/relegation play-off to make it back to the top tier.

However, citing a lack of player availability, and management team Gary Gibson and Glenn Gallagher stepping away, the club have decided to withdraw their Sunday team from the Premier Division.

The club will continue to operate in the Saturday League, where their team will compete in Division Three.

“Our management team stepped away this week, which left us in a quandary on finding somebody to take a team,” club secretary Ernie Pollock said.

“We lost our top goalscorer in Kyle Martin to Finn Harps, our captain Taylor Cassidy moved to London and we lost a number of players to lower league teams.

“The management team were only getting six or seven to training, so they stepped away, and I don’t blame them.

“It’s disheartening, we had a really great young side and we still have some great players but they are under-18 or youth players and we couldn’t make them step up to the Premier Division which has been the strongest it has been in the last ten years.

“It’s an embarrassing situation, and to go from the highest division in the DJL to the lowest is a real kick in the teeth for the club, but all we can do is play in the Saturday league and try to build the club back up.

“We would at some stage like to (return to the Sunday League), but it will take time to grow. We saw Lifford Celtic fold a few years ago and they are back now, but other clubs are struggling too.”

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The late decision, with the Brian McCormick Cup and Voodoo Venue Cup due to start on the final weekend of August, will leave the Donegal Junior League Executive with a headache on the structure of the league.

It is most likely that the Premier Division will be a nine-team league for the upcoming season, with three promoted and two relegated in order to bring the top tier back to ten for the following season.

The Donegal Junior League Executive will meet shortly to discuss their options.