Young players driving Gweedore Celtic towards the top end of Division One

Gweedore Celtic boss Michael McKelvey feels the young players in the squad are beginning to step up as they continue a superb run of form.

Sunday’s 6-0 win away to Swilly Rovers made it five wins in a row and six games unbeaten in Division One, scoring 27 goals in that period.

It’s left them second in the table, although they have played the most games of any team in the second tier, but it’s a far cry from their start to the season, when they won once and lost four of their opening five games.

Just down from the Premier Division after losing the relegation play-off, they conceded 18 goals in their opening five, but the return of players after the Gaelic season has once again been a massive boost for the club.

“We had a bad start to the season, but the boys kept at it. Ciaran McHugh has had them going well in training, and it’s starting to show.

“But the youth academy is also really showing for us now. Tadhg Ó Baoill came in there, Tarlach McBride and Adam McBride, they’re all great players, and they’re still very young, but they’re coming through.

“It is a very youthful team, and you’re looking at Ciaran McHugh and Joey Gillespie, who are mid-twenties, and that’s nearly the oldest we have.

“Colin Ferry is in his early 40s, but he hasn’t been involved these last two years but he has come in and has been brilliant.”

McKelvey had been between the sticks for the An Screaban men for a number of years and is still playing sporadically, but his focus is on managing the side now, with Lorcan Coyle helping to ease the pressure of the number one jersey.

It’s a first season in the hot seat, taking over from Paul ‘Rua’ McBride, and he admits it has been difficult getting players at times with the clash with Gaelic.

“It’s nice to have a young fella there with Lorcan, we’ve been looking for a goalkeeper this last number of years, so it’s nice to get it.

“I would have helped out back in the day with Kevin Friel and with ‘Rua’ as a more senior player.

“It has its drawbacks, you’re chasing boys, especially when the Gaelic is on, you’re hoping they’ll do a job for you.

“We were going out mornings with nine players, and you’re trying to drag fellas in. Boys would help out as much as they could.

“The Gaelic pre-season will be starting now, but we’ll get a good run of games now before they go back, and hopefully we can keep them in for the rest of the season.

“But the lads are great, and I have a lot of time for them, the young fellas will put in the effort for you where they can.”

Despite the good run of form and Swilly’s inconsistencies, it was a first competitive game for both sides in over a month.

So Sunday’s win came as a shock to McKelvey, as they had a stern test against them at home earlier in the season, Darragh Mac Aoidh scoring a late winner to make it 3-2.

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“We’ve been coming down here the last four or five years, even back three years ago when we were both going for the Division One title, and we came down here thinking we had a chance and came away with a 5-1 defeat, so it hasn’t been a happy hunting ground down here for us.

“So to come here and win 6-0 is very pleasing. I didn’t expect to come down here and win like that. Ciaran kept the boys training and doing bits over Christmas and organising friendlies, and that has kind of shown.”

And McKelvey praised the young players in the side that have helped them to build this good run, with a trip to top of the table Kerrykeel ‘71 up next in two weeks.

“Liam Breathnach, it was his second game in, his brother Aodan was playing for us too, but he’s in Dublin doing a thesis, so we probably won’t see much of him.

“But Liam has been brilliant, Adam McBride came back in from Finn Harps, and his quality is unbelievable. Tadhg Ó Baoill, it was his first senior league appearance, he’s played a couple of cup games, but he didn’t look out of place at all. Alan Doherty is only 18 or so, but he’s playing Ulster and Donegal schoolboys, so he has a lot of experience, so we’re happy with how it’s going.

“Noah Freel and Peter Carragher also played their part there. Peter had to go to work at half-time, and the two of them were brilliant, so I can’t praise the young fellas highly enough.

“We want to compete with the likes of Kerrykeel and Cappry, who have that experience right through the team, and they’re physical too, so they have a kind of perfect blend.

“I wouldn’t say we’re out of it, but we’ll give it a go, we’ve a free weekend, and then it’s Kerrykeel away, then another free weekend before Rathmullan away, so we have some tough games.”