Nelis and Termon preparing for a first-ever Senior C final

Termon are into a first Senior C final, and manager Barry Nelis has been pleased with their progress.

The side started a bit slowly with defeats to St Eunan’s and Naomh Conaill, but wins over Glenswilly and Ardara saw them go into the quarter-finals, where they beat Four Masters before getting revenge on Naomh Conaill in the semi-finals.

Barry Nelis is player-manager, and it’s a first year in charge for him, taking over from Eddie Harkin. Paddy Kelly, Jimmy McElwaine, Steve McDaid and JR McDaid are part of the backroom team.

“It’s a first final ever for the thirds, we’ve been in the semi-finals twice, the second one was there against Glenties the previous round, so this is the first final and it’s all new territory for us.

“It’s my first year managing, we met up at the start of the year, and the boys were committed to making a push this year. A big effort was put in, and big numbers and thankfully it’s paying off.

“The senior team pushed very well last year and the reserve team also, so you have a lot of young boys looking to get football, and we have good players that haven’t even been playing reserve, so it’s been an easy job to take over.”

There are good numbers in the panel, and it’s been a team effort with a wide variety of ages in the squad.

“We were training on our own as the reserves and seniors train together, but we’d have close to 25 players, so it’s great numbers. Jamie Gallagher is probably the oldest man on the team and then myself at 43, and you’re going down to boys at just 18, so there’s a big gap, but you need a mixture of both. There are a few boys that would have played senior at a stage, so that mix of youth and experience is hard to beat.

“I’ve been asked who the main players in the team are, but honestly I couldn’t pick out any individuals. The most pleasing thing is how hard they all work for each other and against Glenties in the last game, the never-say-die attitude and how they responded to come from five down to get ahead, it was unreal.”

It took time for the Burn Road men to get going, but the win over Naomh Conaill in Convoy was a big lift for them.

But they now take on a MacCumhaills side that are well used to being in this final and are the current holders of the Manus Kelly Memorial Cup.

“We played St Eunan’s and Glenties, and they were our only defeats, which were by two or three points and they were games we could have won, but it has been a good championship and the standard is very high for thirds.

“People were commenting that the semi-final was like watching a reserve game so we’re happy with where we’re at.

“MacCumhaills are very strong, they won it last year and they’ve won it a few times, so we’ll probably be the underdogs, but I know if we play to our full potential then we won’t be far off.

“It’s our first time here, so as long as the lads don’t get overwhelmed by the occasion, we’ll be there or thereabouts.”

But it is showing that the Burn Road men are ever-improving, on and off the pitch.

“The clubhouse and pitch have been pushed on and the facilities at the ground, and we’re aiming to get another pitch across the road, so it’s great to be involved with Termon and we’re in a good place.”