BY STUART CONNOLLY
Gweedore United defender Ethan Harkin expressed his delight on Sunday afternoon after a win away at Rathmullan Celtic. Their early opener was cancelled out midway through the half, before two goals in the second half helped lift Gweedore United off the bottom of the table.
“It was a good day,” Harkin said.
“Those three points were massive, and we definitely needed that, and it’s not often that we go ahead in games this season.
“Darren Ferry made a great run for the goal, and showed why he’s the captain of this team, a real leader on the pitch.
When asked about his goal in the game, Harkin said the following: “Darren told me to shoot, and I didn’t think he was being serious. I think maybe the goalkeeper misread it, and it got a nice bounce. I went for a second free kick later, and it was way over the bar, so you win some, you lose some.”
On Rathmullan Celtic, Harkin was quick to praise them and noted that it could have been a different interview had the ball hit the back of their net when the score was level.
“They’re near the top of the pile for a reason,” he started.
“They have some good players in that squad.
‘Shaky(Kevin O’Donnell), he played Oscar Traynor with myself, and Kevin(Doran) is quite good and one we had to watch.
“Their strike that brought the game level, no ‘keeper was going to get that, and we could have easily gone 2-1 down, with Oran Craig making an important save, and that could have turned the tide.
“We were happy to get into the break level, especially playing against that wind. That made it difficult for both teams, but you have to deal with what is in front of you.”
The Donegal League will now take a three week break for the holidays, with most squads in competitive action again during the first weekend in January of 2026.
Harkin noted that they’ll regroup and look to build on a positive result, and he’ll be keen to get back to it after a spell out.
“This was my first game with the boys, as I’ve been away,” he said.
“I want to help out anyway I can, Paul(Mac Aodha) has been massive for me, helping me through my underage days, and I’ll show up any day that he asks.
“The boys have been running 5ks frequently, and that has shown. I think this time last year, we may have folded. The work is going on, and everyone stepped up.
“I think that was the best I’ve seen Calum’s(Feireatéar) play and Cian(O’Heifearnáin) is only 16, and overall, the effort was massive, and we definitely needed that today, so hopefully it can set us up right for the second half of the season.”
