Sean MacCumhaills aiming to defend Senior C crown after late revival

Sean MacCumhaills are no strangers to the Senior C final, and experience will be key as they face Termon in Páirc Naomh Columba on Friday night (throw-in 8pm).

Dougie McDaid is in his eighth year in charge, and it’s a sixth final for them at this level since.

They lost out in their first two finals, with COVID-19 also disrupting things, before winning the title in 2022, and it was Pettigo who dethroned them the following year.

They missed out on reaching the 2024 final, but they were back last year and won the Manus Kelly Memorial Cup against St Eunan’s.

And while this year has been injury-hampered for the Twin-Towns men, they are beginning to get the results at the right time.

“Each year brings its own challenges, and we probably didn’t start the championship off well,” McDaid told DonegalLive.

“We had different injuries and then there were players who played for the reserves in the league but didn’t make the panel for the championship and we were trying to get them to find their feet. So it’s only the last couple of games that we’ve got everyone used to playing with each other and getting a style of play; that can take a few games, so maybe the championship format suited us.

“We’ve got big numbers, and it’s a good problem to have. We’re lucky that, even with injuries, we never lacked for numbers and we still have a panel of low 30s at training and there may be some boys that magically will be on the mend with this final coming up. They’ve kept Kevin (Gallagher) the physio busy over the last few months.

“But we want to get boys game time because that’s what the ultimate point of the third team is for.”

McDaid was captain of the reserves this year as they made the Senior B semis, and he has also had to juggle managing the thirds.

And with the two teams training on different days, he doesn’t have many nights where he isn’t involved in some training in Ballybofey.

“Myself and Dan (Gallen) have had the thirds since 2019 and I had a lot more hair when I started out! But it has been a good run, and it’s nice when you’re still playing. Dan had just finished up playing when we took over, and I was playing reserve and a bit of senior in the league, but it’s nice to have his experience there and he can play devil’s advocate, the two of us work well together.

“It’s a big commitment when you’re out different nights in a week, but I’m lucky I was already doing this when I met my partner Niamh. But she’s a big football woman and that makes things a lot easier when you get the go-ahead and the green light when you’re out most nights of the week.”

MacCumhaills lost to Ardara and St Eunan’s in their first two group games, before a win over Glenswilly and defeat to Four Masters.

And as mentioned how they improved as the championship went on, they beat Ardara in the quarter-finals and then St Eunan’s in the semis.

“It didn’t feel like a seven-point win against St Eunan’s, we got a late two-pointer to make the scoreline glossy but with the new rules, you never feel safe on the sideline or playing.

“The Ardara game was the same down there, things went for us, but it was a really tight game and there’s just no control in games anymore, but thankfully we came out on the right side.

“We were confident that once we got a few games under our belt, we could give it a rattle in the knockouts, and we had two tight games there and this one against Termon will be another one.”

Adrian Gillespie is captain but has been out injured with a quad injury, so Brendan Heeney has stepped in to take on the role. And as typical at this level, the mixture of ages is vast.

“Brendan is living in Donegal Town with a young family, but he comes over every week and he’s a credit to the club and the young lads can really look up to both of them.

“There’s a big age gap, we have lads like Seamus McGinty still going and he’s a club legend and he’s going strong.

“I looked up to him growing up and his young fella- Fionn is playing with the seniors now. Patrick McNulty is still playing, and Maurice Laverty also has been training to keep himself fit and it’s been good to have that experience. Then you go down to lads like Ronan McHugh who are still minors or were minors last year and they’re getting football. Then you have lads who stepped in after the hurling season ended, so it’s a good mix.”

And they haven’t met Termon in this year’s championship, but as they overcame Four Masters and Naomh Conaill, there will be a tight contest expected in Glenswilly.

“We played them three times last year, then once this year in the first game of the league back in June when boys were missing for both sides and I think we won by a couple of points, but it wouldn’t have been a game for the purists, hopefully the final will be a better spectacle.”