By Matthew Wilson
Bonagee United manager Mickey Funston is hoping for a response from his side as they meet their neighbours Letterkenny Rovers this Sunday in the Brian McCormick Sports Premier Division.
The two sides took to the field to face each other last Sunday in the Area Final of the Brian McCormick Sports Cup at Leckview Park.
The Bonagee men competed well in the contest but came out on the losing side, suffering a 4-0 defeat in the local derby.
Speaking about the encounter, Funston expressed that his side played good football on the day but individual mistakes cost them against the Leckview Park residents.
“Look, it’s very simple, myself and a couple of lads that obviously are playing are on a Whatsapp group and a couple of Letterkenny Rovers ones are all saying we love derbies but we only love them if we win and that’s just the way it is”, said Funston.
“I thought Rovers took their chances really well and to be fair Anthony Gorman has them well drilled. They’re a good side, they know what they’re about and they’re used to playing together week in and week out.
“It was one of them ones, we played really good football, probably didn’t penetrate them as we would like and all four goals from our point of view, when you look through them, are really individual errors from players you wouldn’t expect. They won’t do it again because these players have serious character and that’s what I loved about them.”
“When they did make mistakes throughout the game they were brave, honest and they got back on it. It didn’t phase them and that’s why they’re here and that’s why they’re good players. Their test of character showed.”
The Dry Arch Park residents have had two league outings since the turn of the year, experiencing mixed results.
They oversaw the challenge of St Catherine’s in a thrilling 4-3 win at Emerald Park before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Kildrum Tigers on home soil.
Factors such as the Christmas break, the weather and Oscar Traynor Cup commitments saw Mickey Funston’s side go a lengthy period without a competitive contest, with the meeting against the Killybegs three weeks ago marking their first since November 16.
It may have proved difficult for them to find momentum or rhythm during this spell and the Bonagee United manager expressed that the return to action against Shaun Kelly’s men came as a relief.
“The weather, there’s nothing anybody could do about that. We probably went the longest we had nine weeks without a game, others went six and that first game against St Catherines was nearly a relief.
“I was talking to the St Catherine’s manager Shaun Kelly and he said the same, it was just a relief to get a game to try to get momentum. I know that the word momentum is thrown out a lot but it’s really important in football. Football isn’t just something you can decide that this Sunday we’re going to be at it, you need to be playing regularly to have a rhythm.”
It was announced in December that Bonagee United will be joining the newly formed FAI National League alongside Letterkenny Rovers and Cockhill Celtic from the county.
The National League will commence in Autumn and it has been described by the FAI as creating a direct pathway between the grassroots game and the League of Ireland.
This year’s Premier Division will be the sole focus on Bonagee United’s mind for now but Funston discussed that there’s great excitement within the club regarding what the future holds.
“It’s exciting times for the Northwest for all three clubs that are involved. As I said before, after the collapse of the Ulster Senior League there needed to be some kind of change to football in Donegal to come away from the Junior model, to try and get players that next step into League of Ireland and obviously this is kind of it now and the opportunity to come to Bonagee which I feel is one of the best ran clubs in the county.”
“As a club we’re really excited with what the future holds and there’s a real excitement and there’s a buzz around the club when you’re down there and I’m sure that’s the same for every club but it’s been really really good to be involved in it and really energising for me.”
This Sunday, Bonagee United will return to league action but they face the same opposition in the form of Letterkenny Rovers.
The Bonagee men have acquired the services of four young players in recent times in the form of Dylan McAteer, Matthew McLoughlin, Kyle Martin and Aidan Brennan who will all prove an asset to the side going forward.
A win on Sunday will bring Funston’s outfit to within two points of Letterkenny Rovers at the top of the table, with a game in hand while a loss will see the gap increase to eight points.
It’s a big encounter in the context of the league and the Bonagee United boss is hoping to a response from his side in Sunday’s local derby.
“That’s the nature of football sometimes. You wait for these games then two come along in a week and that’s just the way it is. Nothing really changes whatever the result was there on Sunday. We know their strengths and we know what they’re good at.
“As I said, Anthony Gorman has them well drilled, he knows what he’s doing so from our point of view we know what they bring to be fair.
“I’ve so much belief in the squad and as I said to people, I wouldn’t take this job if I didn’t think we were good enough to go and challenge. Talk is cheap and it’ll be time for action on Sunday and I’m really looking forward to the response of the players because I know I’ve real character in there and leadership and players that are really hungry for success, but that’s easy said and on Sunday it’ll have to be action not words that decide where we’re going.”
