McGowan urges fans to ‘keep off the grass’ as Donegal return to Mac Cumhaill Park
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Donegal’s eagerly-awaited return to Mac Cumhaill Park this Saturday has prompted a special appeal from host club chairman PJ McGowan - keep off the grass
The newly relaid surface at the Ballybofey venue will host its first game when Jim McGuinness's side face Cork in their All-Ireland SFC Round 2A clash, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
Donegal supporters certainly didn’t let the grass grow under their feet when tickets for the tie went on sale last week: the 16,500-capacity venue sold out within hours with supporters excited not only by the championship showdown with the Rebels but also by the chance to see the county’s revamped home venue.
After months of redevelopment work, McGowan is delighted the project has reached the stage where it can host one of the biggest games of the summer.
However, he has urged supporters not to enter the playing area after the final whistle.
“We’re appealing to all patrons to please stay off the pitch at the end of the game,” McGowan said.
“I've no doubt people will be curious and want to see first-hand what the new surface is like.
“But please, keep off the grass.”
The pitch was reseeded last September and has undergone a complete transformation. The old playing surface was stripped away, drainage installed for the first time, before the area was sanded and reseeded.
McGowan paid tribute to Buncrana-based contractor William Coyle of Pitch Dimensions, who oversaw the work.
“William Coyle has done a marvellous job,” he said. “It is looking absolutely wonderful. The surface is like a billiard table.”
The project has also benefited from the expertise of Croke Park head groundsman Stuart Wilson and agronomist Ian McClements, both of whom have advised throughout the redevelopment.
While the pitch is ready, work around the venue remains ongoing. The perimeter walls have been rebuilt, lowered and had the wire that previously topped them removed, while refurbishment of the toilet blocks is scheduled for later in the summer.
New goalposts, two metres taller than those previously in place, were erected earlier this week, while an Astroturf strip has been installed in front of the dugouts to protect one of the most heavily used areas of the ground. The pitch has also been marked using a robotic lining machine from the Donegal GAA Centre in Convoy.
Preparations for Saturday’s game accelerated after GAA president Jarlath Burns announced after the draw on national radio that MacCumhaill Park would host the tie.
“This match came on us a bit suddenly,” McGowan admitted. “Jarlath took us a wee bit by surprise because we hadn’t even informed the wider club executive of the decision.
“We met that night and some concerns were raised, but William Coyle was all on board and we made a collective decision to proceed. And I'm glad we have done.”
Cold and wet weather during the winter and spring slowed growing conditions, creating additional challenges.
Interest in the redevelopment has been enormous.
“I wish we had a fiver for every sightseer that's been in to look at it this week,” McGowan joked. “There's obviously a huge interest in this fixture, in how Donegal will do but also in seeing how the ground has turned out.
“There remains a lot of additional work to do, and we'll complete that in due course.
“The main priority was to get the pitch done so that we could accommodate the county team once we got the home draw.
“People looking in from a distance could see the beautiful covering of grass on it, and a lot of questions would have been asked if it was unavailable.
“But it is, and we are really looking forward to Saturday.”
A former Donegal manager and also county chairman when the county last won Sam Maguire in 2012, McGowan expects the hosts to make home advantage count, although he warned against taking Cork lightly.
“On form, Donegal should win,” he said. “We are in a good position going into this match, but we know what happened against Down.
“We would be very foolish to treat Cork lightly. They have a number of very good players who can cause us problems, like they did just two years ago down there.
“But I've no doubt Jim will have the guys in tip-top condition and well prepared for it.
“If we play to our potential, I think we'll win.”
McGowan has his own memories of battles with the Rebels from his time managing Donegal during the 1990s.
He recalled a memorable National Football League semi-final victory over Cork in Croke Park [in 1996]. “We beat them by a point. I remember John Ban Gallagher hit the winning score from well out the field,” he said. “They were also a fine footballing team.”
McGowan sees similarities with the current Cork side, who arrive in Ballybofey on the back of an impressive win over Meath three weeks ago, despite playing much of the second half with 14 men.
“They were very good against Meath in the previous round and were a man down for a lot of the second half there, which made that all the more impressive.”
Despite hosting one of the biggest matches of the championship to date, McGowan stressed that the new surface remains fragile and will need continued protection in the months ahead.
The club chairman hopes supporters will admire the new-look venue from the stand and terraces and allow the club to continue the final stages of its redevelopment programme.
Saturday promises to be a landmark occasion for the Mac Cumhaill’s club. By 6pm, McGowan hopes the stadium will have emptied, the new pitch will remain pristine and Donegal will have sealed a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.