BY MATTHEW WILSON
CASTLEFIN Celtic manager Michael Dunnion is expecting a tough test when his side host Ballybofey United in a local derby this Sunday.
Castlefin Celtic got their campaign back underway following the Christmas break on Sunday where they shared the spoils with Gweedore United at Carrickboyle.
Dunnion’s charges saw themselves two goals adrift at the break but two second stanza goals courtesy of Ryan O’Hagan and Dean Kelly earned them a draw which the Castlefin Celtic boss was pleased with.
“We were 2-0 down at half-time and we were going to be against the wind in the second half. You’d probably take the point at half-time but we could’ve won it and could’ve lost it at the same time.
“You’d probably take the point and move on. Our aim going down there would’ve been to win but it’s a hard place to go and the conditions made it difficult so you take that point and move on.”
Last weekend’s encounter was the Castlefin side’s first outing in over six weeks so the players will only be getting back up to speed following the break in action and Dunnion stated that it’s now about getting back into the swing of things.
“We haven’t played a competitive game since the 27th of November. With a positive result away from home and a positive performance, we’ll have no complaints really. It’s about getting back into it and hopefully it can kickstart the season again.”
It’s been a solid season to date for the Parkview residents, sitting in fourth position in Division One and are within touching distance of the teams above them at the bottom.
Dunnion expressed that the group are pleased with how things have gone so far this term, stating that the aim within the camp is to remain as consistent as they can.
“Definitely yeah. The aim at the start was to stay in touch with the top and never look too far in front of you because it’s always hard to make up points in that division because everyone can beat anybody.
“The aim was to stay as consistent as possible and that’ll probably be the aim again, take one game at a time and try to keep the results as consistent as you can.”
The Castlefin outfit have proved to be effective at both ends of the pitch so far this season, with just three sides in the league scoring more than them to date while they possess the joint-best defensive record in Division One.
Despite the impressive defensive record, Dunnion discussed that there have been some goals that they would have been disappointed to have conceded in matches so far but with a couple of youngsters in the side, he stated that it’s a learning curve for the group.
“We can score goals but we’ve also talked about conceding goals as well, it’s not something we’re overly happy with because we’ve maybe conceded easy goals against certain teams more than conceding a lot of goals.
“It’s positive, there’s a few boys there that are 18 and 19. It’s a learning curve and as long as they improve and we improve together then it’s all we’re looking for.”
The Parkview outfit dropped down from the top tier of the Donegal Junior League two seasons ago and will be eyeing a return to the Premier Division in the not so distant future.
They finished up in fourth place in their first term in Division One last year and currently occupy the same position as we enter the second half of the campaign.
Speaking about the squad’s aims for the remainder of the season, Dunnion expressed that their target is to continue to try and keep producing results and staying consistent in order to remain in touch with the teams above them.
“The aim is to keep turning the results. We’ll take it one game at a time starting with this weekend now against Ballybofey. Hopefully it’ll be another positive result to stay in touch and hopefully we can put a run together and see where it takes us from there.
“Again, I think the most consistent team from now until the end of the season is going to go on and certainly get promoted.”
Castlefin Celtic are back on home soil this Sunday when they face Ballybofey United in a local derby at Parkview.
PH Bonar’s outfit suffered a 5-0 home defeat to Milford United at Dreenan last weekend and they’ll be looking to regroup ahead of this clash against their neighbours.
Dunnion’s side overcame the Ballybofey men at the start of the season in a contest which he said was in the melting pot until the end and he’s expecting a similar story when the pair face-off this Sunday.
“It’s another difficult game, every team can beat anybody on any given week. You can’t take anything for granted, at the end of the day it’s a derby. They’re not going to be coming down and rolling over.
“We played them in Ballybofey and the game was in the melting pot until the very end and I expect nothing different this weekend.”
