Inishowen Colleges squad geared up for strong Dalton Cup campaign

Colaisti Inis Eoghain's Dalton Cup preparations are going full steam ahead their manager says.
Daniel McCauley, who is at the helm for the U13½ Ulster colleges tournament this season, has a strong panel of 27 to draw on when their campaign gets underway in January.

The opening group match, against old foes St Eunan's, will be a tough test for the Inishowen schoolboys, but Naomh Padraig club man McCauley believes he has a squad to be reckoned with.

He told Donegal Live: "We've been training since the end of October and things have been going really well.
"We're in a tough group this year, but I believe we have a lot of really good footballers within our ranks. They're every bit as talented as last year's Dalton Cup squad, and they have shown real enthusiasm in training.

"They're starting off with a derby match, and obviously the boys will want to get their bragging rights over Eunan's."

Working alongside McCauley is Kevin Lynch, with whom he will also be managing the Muff seniors with next season. Burt's Gerald Gallagher and Buncrana's Michelle McKenna remain on board, while Danny Lafferty has been drafted in from Malin.

And the players have also benefited from additional expert advice as the opening match draws closer.
Said McCauley: "We had a very good night in Muff last month when Sinead O'Brien from Buncrana gave a talk on nutrition.
"The boys were also given strength and conditioning advice from Naomh Padraig coach Martin Mailey.
"They are at a critical age now in terms of development, and things like this will start to come into play more."

But, though full of optimism for the upcoming campaign, McCauley stressed that player development was the main objective rather than results on the pitch.
"The crucial thing is that these boys are getting the opportunity to play against different players and at a higher level.
"They're in a tough group but they'll have the chance to play against future county players from throughout Ulster.

"I've been involved with the Colaisti Inis Eoghain set-up for five years now and I'm seeing players who were involved coming through at senior level now - the experience has really stood to them."