BY MATTHEW WILSON

Having fallen at the semi-final stage last time out, Rónán MacNiallais and his Gaoth Dobhair side will be aiming to go one better when they meet St Michael’s at O’Donnell Park on Saturday.

The Magheragallon men booked their spot in the last four courtesy of a three-point win over Mark Sweeney’s Kilcar in the quarter-finals last weekend.

It was a big win for MacNiallais’ side and afterwards he stated that they’re pleased to be through to the next round but he wasn’t happy with the overall display.

“We weren’t happy at all with the performance but it’s all about results at this time of the year. We would’ve felt that last year against St Eunan’s in the semi-final, we played well and lost.”

“Today was another big game against a top four team and we didn’t perform great but we won so overall you would have to be happy but we have plenty to work on.”

Saturday’s win over the Towney residents was Gaoth Dobhair’s first knockout victory over one of the other three so-called ‘big four’ sides in six years.

In the build-up to the Kilcar clash, the Gaoth Dobhair boss labelled it as the toughest test that his side could’ve gotten so he was pleased with how his group met the challenge that was put in front of them.

“I was telling the lads that Gaoth Dobhair haven’t beaten one of the really top teams now in knockout football since 2019. We haven’t beaten the likes of Kilcar, St Eunan’s or Naomh Conaill in a knockout game since then so that’s six years ago.”

“That was the challenge put up to our boys today (Saturday) and they stepped up to it and they met that challenge head on and got the result that they needed.”

“But look, it doesn’t mean much if we can’t go out next weekend and move on another step.”

The next challenge that lies ahead of the Magheragallon outfit is Martin McElhinney and Daniel McLaughlin’s St Michael’s side this Saturday.

St Michael’s have been impressive since their opening day defeat to Sean MacCumhaills, winning all four matches.

Gaoth Dobhair lost out at this stage last year to eventual champions St Eunan’s, suffering a narrow one-point defeat to the Letterkenny men.

MacNiallais expressed that this was a good experience for the group but insists that they were gutted with the outcome of it, having come so close.

They’ll want to put their best foot forward now this weekend and try and go one step further to make the Senior Championship decider in two weeks time.

“It was a good experience for us last year to be there (in the semi-final) and we weren’t far away, there was only a point in it at the end.”

“We were so gutted last year losing that game the way we did, only by a point, we felt that it was there for us.”

“The year before against Naomh Conaill, we were a million miles off it but last year we would’ve been happier with where we got to and how we performed.”

“The key now is for those boys in the dressing room to really put their best foot forward, take the next step to the final and see where it goes from there then.”