BY MATTHEW WILSON
FOUR Masters will be hoping to retain their Under 21 Championship crown when they meet Naomh Conaill in Sunday’s showpiece at Father Tierney Park.
The Donegal Town men booked their spot in Sunday’s final courtesy of a five-point win over Glenswilly, a tough battle which was played in difficult conditions at the Burn Road.
Four Masters star Conor McCahill expressed that it was a good win over the Pairc Naomh Columba residents but stated that the focus is now firmly on the final.
“Ourselves and Glenswilly always seem to meet each other at the end of the year when it comes to finals and stuff. It was good to get the win but we just need to focus now on the final.”
It’s been a busy campaign for the young forward which has seen him line out for the Donegal Under 20 side in the spring before returning to club action, being involved at senior, minor and now Under 21 level where he’s playing a key role.
Football plays a big part in McCahill’s life and he appears to have a bright future ahead of him. Speaking to the Donegal News, he said that there’s nothing better than playing.
“I love football, it’s good. It can be tiring and all but you just go out every day and enjoy it because you’re with your friends so there’s no better thing than football.”
Four Masters will now meet Naomh Conaill in this weekend’s decider, with the Glenties men coming through their semi-final against Termon last Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the encounter, McCahill is well aware of the threat that the Glenties outfit possess but stated that they have to be confident approaching a final.
“We’re confident enough, we have to be confident going into the final. I’d say Naomh Conaill are the exact same.
“They’re tough, they’re nothing to mess with. They’re Naomh Conaill at the end of the day, they’re county champions and a lot of those boys are playing Under 21s now. We’re just getting ready to try and take another one home.”
The two sides have met recently in both the Senior and Minor Championship Semi-Finals, with McCahill taking to the field in both of these encounters.
With this in mind, the Four Masters forward will be familiar with a lot of the personnel that’ll be on the pitch in Ballyshannon this Sunday.
Both outfits have quality in abundance amongst their ranks which will make the upcoming Under 21 decider a great spectacle, something McCahill is in agreement with.
“We do know them, we know all of the faces. Even coming from minor level we know the likes of Finnbarr (Roarty) and them, they’re very good players and they need to be watched.
“We’ve good players too so it’ll just be a really good game.”
The Tir Conaill Park residents secured their first Under 21 title in 23 years last term, lifting the cup following a thrilling decieder against Glenswilly where they ran out three-point winners.
These young players have created a real winning mentality within Four Masters in recent years and they’ll be seeking to continue that this Sunday when they hope to secure two Under 21 titles in-a-row.
“It was a huge lift for the club (last year’s win). It was brought into the likes of the seniors as well. All of the boys coming up as well, like the 2008’s were just saying, ‘we want to win another one’. That’s going to be the same for however long we can keep winning.”
