BY RYAN FERRY
THERE is a real feel-good factor surrounding the Downings senior team at present, and the club are primed and ready for their Intermediate final with Malin.
It’s only two years since the club won the Donegal Junior title but there is no sense that this run has come out of the blue.
Team manager Kevin ‘Cookie’ Gallagher is honest when he says he felt the group weren’t performing to their capabilities pre-2021.
However, they have upped the ante considerably since then. There was a strong Division 2 campaign last year where they won promotion, but they were left gutted when a late goal saw them lose against Fanad in the Intermediate quarter-final.
They have fought back well from that setback and retained their Division 1 status before embarking on a good run in this year’s Intermediate.
Gallagher would love to see his team take the Cathal McLaughlin Cup home on Sunday but he knows they will have to dig deep.
“It’s a nice feeling. It’s something we have been working towards all year.
“Staying in Division 1 was a focus for us, and when the championship started up, we wanted to get out of the group.
“That was difficult to achieve because we had a tough group.
“We managed to do that and it’s just been one step at a time since then.
“We’re in a final now and it’s going to be extremely difficult.
“We need a big push for another sixty minutes but the boys are well capable of it.”
Like many teams locally, Downings’ base is North Donegal can be a challenge.
Players often have to head away to work and emigration is always a threat.
It is also a bustling village during the summer and that can provide distractions.
However, Downings have stuck to the plan this season and have a good group.
The addition of former Donegal minor and Under 20 bainisteoir Shaun Paul Barrett has also helped and the team are in good physical condition.
“It’s not easy. We have five or six lads in Dublin and they are up and down the road every weekend.
“Over the last while, they have been coming down for Thursday night sessions.
“We have a couple of players in Sligo and logistically it’s not ideal.
“The summer season in Downings can be hectic but I think that’s where SP comes in to play. I think they are quite possibly afraid of him!
“The boys have all bought into what SP has done all year and it’s reaping its rewards now.
“When they need to go up and find that extra gear, they can do that. It’s in the tank and they will have to dig deep again on Sunday.”
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