By Ryan Ferry
Raymond Foy is hoping that Ballybofey United can push for promotion to the Premier Division this season.
Foy is a shrewd appointment for Ballybofey after previously impressing with Castlefin Celtic and Strabane Athletic.
He set his stall out early and Ballybofey have recruited well while also doing a solid pre-season.
Foy hopes that can see them hit the ground running and work their way to the top end of the table.
“At the start of the season when we sat down with the players, one thing that stood out to me massively – I hope I’m right on this and I have checked it out about ten times – is that Ballybofey have never been in the Premier Division.
“Bar two teams everyone in our league has won the Premier at some point, and the other two have been in the Premier.
“We have added in players but we have got to approach every game with the right mindset and be on it.
“Yes, teams change squads but when a club has won the Premier, that history and know-how is never far away.
“You have Glenea and Castlefin and teams like that who have had a lot of success.
“It’s new ground for us to see can we push to be in and around those promotion spots.
“That would be the aim but we will have to take it step-by-step and see where we end up.”
Caolan Duffy, Fionn Hennigan, Mark McGlynn, Gavin Sweeney, Tom Mullen, Ryan Gildea, Matty Stevenson, Joshua Wade, Odhran Patton, and Gary Patton are the new faces in the Ballybofey squad.
Foy wants a strong squad but he’s expecting a tough opener against Drumoghill.
“Every team wants a good start and we have Drumoghill which won’t be easy.
“We played Dunree in a pre-season friendly and drew 3-3.
“I was speaking to the Dunree manager Liam Baldrick after and he was saying they had lost to Drumoghill 7-1 in a friendly the week before, and that definitely makes you think about what you’re going to be up against.
“A lot of teams have added in and the Donegal League from Premier Division to Division Two is probably going to return to what it was pre the Ulster Senior League teams coming back.
“Every team will feel they have a chance of doing alright, whether that’s the Brian McCormick Cup or the league.
“When I won the Premier with Castlefin, you didn’t have Fanad, Bonagee, or Rovers back then.
“It will slightly return to that now as the top players are going to be heading to the third tier, and you’re hoping that it’s a more even keel for everyone else.”
Manager: Raymond Foy
Last Season: 7th in Division One
Star Man: Gavin Sweeney
One to Watch: Mark McGlynn