Donegal Town hoping to build on good start to the season

Donegal Town have had a good start to the season, and new manager Ryan Hegarty is hoping they can continue that form over the challenging upcoming few weeks.

After a three year absence from the Brian McCormick Premier Division, the side got promoted last year.

And the Hospital Field men beat St Catherines to win the Donegal Area final of the Brian McCormick Cup this month, while they picked up an impressive opening day home win over Kilmacrennan Celtic, teenager Thomas Lenehan scoring the only goal of the game.

“We can’t complain,” boss Hegarty said.

“Especially against Kilmacrennan, the two GAA teams (Four Masters and St Naul’s) were clashing with the game and we were short, the five boys on the bench played for the Saturday team.

“So it was absolutely brilliant to beat them because Kilmacrennan are always very strong.

“Coming up, the first thing is to hopefully stay up, but we know we have the players to do better than that.

“Every week will be a challenge, and staying up is the main goal.

“A few teams are probably thinking to get to 20 points and you should be alright, but staying up is the first thing we’ll focus on.

“You look at the fixture list every year and try and pinpoint a banker or a three pointer, but this year there just isn’t any.”

Hegarty was managing the Saturday team last year as they finished fourth in Division One, but has taken on the Sunday side after Marty Byrne and Joe Rodden stepped away following their second place finish and promotion.

“I’ve been playing with the Town since I was six, but I got a hip injury two years ago and I’m waiting on surgery.

“I had the Saturday team last year with the hope that I’d be playing again this year, but I’m still waiting to recover. The two boys stepped away, so it made sense with the young boys making the step up, I had them at Under-16, so I said I’d take it on.

“There are a good few young lads. On Sunday we had Ethan McCrea centre half, Thomas Lenehan on the wing, then Conal Flannery and Callum Maskery, they’re all 18 or under.

“We have four playing for St Naul’s and two or three with Four Masters, but the boys do their best to get out when the games don’t clash.

“It’s been easy for me because I know all the boys, having been with the Saturday team, we all train together, and the only difference is the change of the game day, to be honest. I have a couple of good lads in helping me in Diarmaid Slevin from Erne Wanderers, Dermot McCafferty was our old goalkeeper, and then another former player in Ray McGroary, so I have plenty of help there.

“We haven’t lost anyone from last year, then we got Ultan O’Grady back in from Ballinamallard. Callum and Conal were with Finn Harps underage, and they’ve come back.”

And it’s this Sunday’s opponents who pipped them to the league title last season, as they travel to face Glenea United.

“The Sunday lads were very disappointed not to win the league last year. They had a few poor results, but the main thing was going up.

“We were in Division 1 for three seasons, and the first two years we were unlucky not to win it because the first year Swilly were in the league, then there was Bonagee and Letterkenny Rovers. Last year was a good chance to win it.

“We lost twice to Glenea last year, we were 2-0 up and lost 3-2, then we lost 3-1 over there, so they’ve got the better of us recently, but we’ll try and change that this weekend.

“We’re hoping that with the gaelic nearing an end, it’ll help us and then the Saturday team, and we won’t need to have boys travelling for games on both days.

“Having everyone back will be massive, and hopefully they’ll be back soon.”