DESPITE being just 18-years-old, Katie Dowds has already become a familiar face in the Donegal senior ladies panel.
Given her debut under Maxi Curran while in transition year in St Columba’s College in Stranorlar, it was a sign of the quality of a footballer the county had and she was one of two players to go on to win a rare double in May 2023 of an Ulster senior and minor title with Donegal, along with Sean MacCumhaill’s club mate Abigail Temple Asokuh.
Now overage for minor football, it’s one less thing to worry about but as a Leaving Certificate student, there is plenty of focus on two fronts.
Hoping to study Pharmacy at third level in the Autumn, it’s a big commitment juggling studies and senior football and a part time job in the Cool Creamery & Coffee Dock in Ballybofey.
“I’ve my mocks over me now so it’s not too bad at the minute but the exams are in June so it is going to get a bit more full on as the weeks go by, but it has been grand, it’s nice to have a bit of a break from the school work too and play a bit of football,” Dowds told the Donegal News.
“Last year the season was well managed but it is nice to be able to play with just the one team and put 100% into that and that helps this year with the Leaving Cert.
“It is busy but it gives me structure in my days and the training and playing matches gives me freedom from the books, it’s a good opportunity to get out and see friends and it takes the mind off of studying.
“I’m hoping to do Pharmacy in Queen’s or Coleraine if all goes well.”
One thought ahead of the penultimate league game against Tipperary was the slim but real possibility of relegation from Division 2 for James Daly’s side.
However, a strong defensive performance against a heavy breeze in Lifford saw the hosts go in level at the break at 0-4 apiece.
And they powered on in the second half to win by 0-10 to 0-7 and secure safety as they sit in third place ahead of the final league game.
It was the first time Donegal had the white flag raised ten times in a game so far in the campaign but with just one loss, it shows how low scoring a lot of games have been.
“We were over the moon because we put up a good first half against what was a really strong wind,” Dowds added.
“We dogged it out in the second half but thank god we came away with the win.
“It’s something we have been looking at, the fact that we haven’t been putting up a large amount of scores, but we had two weeks off before that Tipperary game and we put in a lot of training so we’re happy to have got good scores from our forwards.
“Aisling O’Neill came on for her first game and she kicked over a great point so we’re happy to get that.
“Ulitah (Boyle) played very well when she came on too, the two girls are only back from injury and it’s nice to see them fitting in well in their first match.”
Their one loss came in a heavy defeat to a very dominant Galway side in matchday five.
The Tribeswomen have a +87 points difference and have been steamrolling most teams in the league but it gave Donegal a look at where they are.
And with the other already promoted team up next in Cork this Sunday in Fr Tierney Park (throw-in 12.30pm), it will be a good test for Dowds and co.
“Galway was a challenge but we knew they would be because they were in an All-Ireland final last year so it was good to be able to see where we are at against such a good and experienced team who have been on the road for a few years now.
“We’re kind of the opposite, we’re very young and we aren’t very experienced but we’re working hard.
“It was a disappointing loss but it showed us where we are and what we can work on from there.
“When you look at it like that in that we have only lost that one game, I know we had a couple of draws, but we are safe now so we’re happy enough with the league campaign.
“We’re looking forward to playing Cork next week, it should be a good challenge as well because they are a very good team.
“We’re lucky enough that we’re home again so that we don’t have to make the long journey down to Cork so it’s nice in that sense.”
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