FANAD United made a remarkable return to the Brian McCormick Sports Premier Division last season as they won the league, losing just one game.
After withdrawing from the Ulster Senior League in 2020, the youthful Fanad side went into Division 1 of the Donegal Junior League.
They won the title in 2021/22, their first season in it and upon promotion, added a few strong additions to the team which saw them sitting in second place behind reigning champions Kilmacrennan Celtic at Christmas.
One of those additions was Eoin Logue, who scored 14 goals last season after joining from Institute and was named the Fanad United Manager’s Player of the Year for his performances over the course of the season.
“It was my first year but last year you could see there was a good squad there”, Logue said.
“It’s a young squad but Artie (Lynch), Paul (Nash) and Darren (Nash) are building a young squad with a lot of local boys too which probably helps the cause.
“They were building a good squad and then you add the additions of myself, Seamie ‘Nanny’ Friel, Darren McElwaine and Paddy Carr sort of took us to a new level.
“There was definitely an expectation within the squad that we could definitely challenge for it but I think we went under the radar because we were only promoted.
“The momentum is a massive thing, the games at the start of the year were probably games we should have won or expected to but once we got a few boys back from the GAA or who were away and we got back to full strength we sort of went on a run and momentum just built from then on.
Fanad started the season relatively slow with three draws in their opening five games, but they only dropped points once more after that, in a 1-0 loss to Rathmullan Celtic.
Kilmac’ were right up there and on their tails for a long period in the second half of the season but the run of 10 wins in 11 games after the winter break was quite relentless and it made it near impossible for their title rivals to keep up.
And while they only won the league in their penultimate game in April, Kilmacrennan dropped eight points in their last three games which added gloss to the table.
But for the consistent performances over the year, Logue was named as the April Donegal News Sports Star of the Month Award in conjunction with Brian McCormick Sports & Leisure.
“We were probably expected to do well but not to win the league by 11 points in the end up.
Fanad United’s Eoin Logue in action against Dean O’Donnell of Cappry Rovers.
“But we knew we had good enough players to at challenge and when you get close to it at the end of the season the expectation rises and it was nice to get over the line.
“Momentum is massive in football and even when we were 2-1 or 2-0 down in games we were always thinking we could come back and win. There must have been about six times this year we were losing and we came back and won and it’s a good sign on the morale of the team.
“It was a great win for the club especially with all the hard work that went on behind the scenes and it was great to get the title for all of the locals.”
Speaking to Fanad boss Arthur Lynch after their 4-0 win with Castlefin Celtic, which followed Kilmac’ dropping points and the club only needing one win from their remaining two games, Lynch wasn’t taking anything for granted. And Logue backed up the importance of that win and how they weren’t letting it go to their head as they remained composed.
“It’s game by game with Artie and right he is to keep our feet on the ground. That Castlefin game was a huge game to win because it’s a hard place to go, teams struggle to get a result there and to come out with a 4-0 win was massive.”
The 20-year-old is currently keeping his fitness up as he lines out for Gaeil Fhánada in Division 2 of the All County League, but soccer has always been the main sport in his life and he’s eager to get back playing with the Brian McCormick Premier Division getting underway on the first weekend of September.
And despite being given a Player of the Year Award, Logue, who is studying Sports & Exercise at ATU Donegal, going into his third year, remained modest and reminded that it’s a team sport and they wouldn’t have won the title without the starting 11 and subs.
“It was nice (to win) but there were a lot of boys in the hat for that too and it definitely was a harder decision to make out. You had players like Seamie ‘Nanny’ Friel, Eddie (O’Reilly), Darren (McElwaine), Paddy Carr, Shaun (Carr)would all have been in the running but it was nice to win it too.”
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