BY DÁIRE BONNAR
KILLYBEGS manager Pauric Bonner is remaining positive despite losing their opening two games in the Senior Championship.
The Fishermen lost by four points to St Michael’s before a two-point home loss to Sean MacCumhaill’s but Bonner feels there is enough from those games that they can build on.
“We’re not coming away from those games thinking ‘we’re in trouble’, we’re coming away thinking we could have won them games so we’re not far away. It’s about cutting out the stupid mistakes and misplaced passes which are killing us. We’re probably trying to win the games early and trying to take people on when sometimes it’s alright to hold on to the ball.
“We were too gung-ho in the first half against MacCumhaill’s and they’re really good coming out hard and fast with the ball and they got at us.
“We left a lot of scores behind us in the first half too and we corrected things at half time and got it back to two points but we couldn’t get it back to one. We had a goal chance to equalise and took the wrong option so we’re coming away disappointed.
“We didn’t play well in the St Michael’s game whereas we did in the second half in that game so there’s plenty to build on.”
Killybegs sit sixth from bottom, with their score difference leaving them the highest of teams with zero points and they travel to another side without a point in St Naul’s.
The Mountcharles men have had two difficult opening games, losing on home turf to Glenswilly by 13 points, while they were swatted aside by 10 points to Kilcar in Towney last weekend.
It puts an extra emphasis on getting a result this Sunday for both teams, and Bonner feels the rivalry between the pair will make it an even more interesting game.
“It’s a place I’m very familiar with and I’m sure come Sunday we could see some miraculous recoveries from boys that were injured, not in a facetious way but it’s a local derby and both teams need the points so you could see boys that haven’t togged togging for them and for ourselves, boys that we didn’t have last week hopefully back as well.
“There is quite a healthy rivalry between the two teams and there won’t be a lot in it I’m sure with the weather we have had it’ll be a slog but we’re into that stage now for all the teams at the bottom, it’s kind of our knockout championship.
“Every team wants to avoid the bottom four and both of us will be looking to get a win and Downings play Cloughaneely so four of the bottom six plays each other and someone will be coming away with points and coming away from the bottom four by then end of the weekend.
“The camp are in good humour, we competed in both games so there is plenty to build on and it’s within our own grasp to correct that.
“Young Eoin Mulligan started his first championship match and scored three points and Mark Finnerty started his first and done a good job on Jamie Keegan. Then we have Cillian Gildea and John ‘Ban’ Gallagher hopefully back this weekend it adds that bit of depth to the squad.
“We’ve been around long enough to know things can turn around fairly quickly and it’s just about getting that win.”
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