MAC'S VIEW: When it comes to picking our best midfielders, Donegal has been blessed with talent

By Brian McEniff
Published 30th Apr 2020, 16:05 BST
The Donegal team that won Ulster in '72. The team included some of Brian's favourite all-time midfielders including Martin Carney, Declan O'Carroll and Frankie McFeelyplaceholder image
The Donegal team that won Ulster in '72. The team included some of Brian's favourite all-time midfielders including Martin Carney, Declan O'Carroll and Frankie McFeely

Brian McEniff picks his favourite midfield men

Over the past number of weeks, I’ve been picking my three favourite Donegal players in different positions.

Selecting my goalkeepers and defenders proved extremely difficult. Today it’s the turn of the midfielders.

I’m going to pick six altogether (to cover my two midfield positions) - but once again, it has been very tough to decide on the final six.

I’ll start this week by going back a few years to my college days. I came up against Sean Ferriter who played for St. Eunan’s College against St Macartan’s in a MacRory Cup tie back in 1956. I was boarding at the Monaghan college and I remember Sean was a goalkeeper then. But he went on to make his name out the field and played with Dungloe and St. Michael’s as well as Donegal. He was on the minor team that won Ulster in 56 and the following year he made his senior debut against Tyrone. He was a class player.placeholder image
I’ll start this week by going back a few years to my college days. I came up against Sean Ferriter who played for St. Eunan’s College against St Macartan’s in a MacRory Cup tie back in 1956. I was boarding at the Monaghan college and I remember Sean was a goalkeeper then. But he went on to make his name out the field and played with Dungloe and St. Michael’s as well as Donegal. He was on the minor team that won Ulster in 56 and the following year he made his senior debut against Tyrone. He was a class player.

Sean Ferriter receiving the Hall of Fame award at this year's Donegal Sports Star Awards presentations

Another great player was Frankie McFeely. I remember him as a county minor and we played on the same county minor team together. He was quickly called into the county senior team, and within a year of making his senior debut, was playing for Ulster. That’s how good he was. MacCumhaills won the senior championship three years running from 1962 to 64 and McFeely would have been a big part of that success.

Molloy

For obvious reasons, I must include Anthony Molloy (pictured below) - a player who always had trouble with a knee injury. I remember him first telling me about it when I was chatting to him at the Sandfields in Ardara. I think he was a minor then. He played through the pain barrier and famously wore the heavy knee support.placeholder image
For obvious reasons, I must include Anthony Molloy (pictured below) - a player who always had trouble with a knee injury. I remember him first telling me about it when I was chatting to him at the Sandfields in Ardara. I think he was a minor then. He played through the pain barrier and famously wore the heavy knee support.

He was strong, tough but never dirty. He was good at winning ball, and by the time ‘92 came around, he would be a great protector of lads. We had a lot of smaller boys then. He was a great leader of men, there’s no doubt. And a fine player.

His partner at midfield in ‘92 was Brian Murray (below). His grandfather was a taxi driver in Monaghan and he used to drive us to our matches when I was at St Macartan’s. His father was from Monaghan town and was a Garda. Brian would also go on to become a Garda.placeholder image
His partner at midfield in ‘92 was Brian Murray (below). His grandfather was a taxi driver in Monaghan and he used to drive us to our matches when I was at St Macartan’s. His father was from Monaghan town and was a Garda. Brian would also go on to become a Garda.

I knew Brian well from when he was a young player, playing minor and of course he was on that great De La Salle team of 1980

He had a great club career with Aodh Ruadh and Civil Service in Dublin. He was such an important part of the success in ‘92.placeholder image
He had a great club career with Aodh Ruadh and Civil Service in Dublin. He was such an important part of the success in ‘92.

In later years, we had Neil Gallagher (above) from Glenswilly. I had heard plenty about Neil because my son Seanie had him in the U-21s. He played for me in a challenge game against the underdogs in Ballyshannon and I took him into the county panel then.

New players

I was changing things about that season. That was 2005 and I got some new players in for the McKenna Cup. I got Michael Boyle who was only 17, Neil McGee, Neil Gallagher and Ryan Bradley.

Rory Kavanagh was another outstanding player. A quality athlete who would deserve to be considered at midfield but would also be pushing for a place at wing half-forward. His father Charlie was a fine player too. I remember playing against him when he played with Convoy.placeholder image
Rory Kavanagh was another outstanding player. A quality athlete who would deserve to be considered at midfield but would also be pushing for a place at wing half-forward. His father Charlie was a fine player too. I remember playing against him when he played with Convoy.

Then you have the two Naomh Conaill men, John Gildea (pictured above) and Jim McGuinness. Gildea was probably one of those players who was very under-rated. He had a fantastic county career and he was outstanding for us when we got to the All-Ireland semi-final in 2003.

He could boss a game, just like he did when Naomh Conaill beat St. Eunan’s to win a memorable county final.

He made his senior county debut in 1993, but looking back, probably deserved to be involved before then.

McGuinness was a fine footballer who was more often used as a full forward than as a midfielder in his younger days. He enjoyed great success at colleges level, winning Sigerson Cups and of course, along with John Gildea, was such a major influence for Naomh Conaill.

He was in the Donegal squad in 1992, and enjoyed a fine county career through until 2003. After that, well the rest is history.

Maguire

Other players who deserve to be considered would include Sylvester Maguire.

He was an outstandingly good club player who like so many others, was very unfortunate with injury.

And he was also unlucky to come up against some other great players when challenging for a midfield spot in '92.

Martin Carney who was on the Donegal team that made the breakthrough in Ulster in 1972 as was Declan O’Carroll who could also play on the half-forward line.

Michael Lafferty, who I named last week as one of my centre-half backs, was also a fine midfielder. Then you had the two Killybegs men, Barry Cunningham and John Ban Gallagher and John Diver from Gaoth Dobhair who was part of the Donegal set-up when back in the 60s.

Martin Griffin is another man who could do a job at midfield. Most people would remember him as a defender, but I remember we played Kerry in Ballybofey in 84 and we put him on Jack O’Shea at midfield, and let’s just say Martin held his own.

Of the modern era young Michael Langan looks to have a very bright future and one Michael Murphy could also do a job at midfield. But I’ll consider him for another position in the team.

There are other players too who deserve a mention like Pat McCrea from Pettigo and Paul McGonigle (Buncrana). Brendan Boyle (Ardara) and Stephen McDermot (Glenfin) were two players who had their problems with injuries and deserve a mention too.

But the six I’ll go for are Sean Ferriter, Frankie McFeely, Anthony Molloy, Brian Murray, Neil Gallagher and John Gildea.

Other players

Outside Donegal, there is a long list of players who I have enjoyed watching over the years and picking three is an almost impossible challenge. There were players like Mick O’Connell (Kerry), Cathal O’Leary (Dublin), Brian Fenton (Dublin), Dan O’Neill (Mayo and Louth), Ray Carolan (Cavan), Aidan O’Shea (Mayo), Mattie McDonagh (Galway), Sean Cavanagh (Tyrone) Darragh O’Se (Kerry) and Mick Burke (Cork).

But my three players will be Jack O’Shea (Kerry), Anthony Tohill (Derry) and Jim McKeever (Derry).

Look after yourselves everyone, and if you are asked to stay at home, please do so. Next week we will run the rule over the wing half-forwards.

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