BY RYAN FERRY
DEELE Harps manager Billy Sweeney says he is trying to keep his charges grounded but a win this Sunday will have them top of the Donegal Physiotherapy & Performance Centre Division Two for Christmas.
Sweeney is in his first season in charge and things have gone well so far.
A big derby win over near neighbours Lifford Celtic last week has added to the feel-good factor around Marty Duffy Memorial Park.
Deele have watched plenty of campaigns peter out early in recent years but there is real belief that this time they can kick on.
League leaders Drumoghill are the opponents this week and the men from the Moss will be smarting after losing to Whitestrand in their last outing.
“Whenever I took the job at the start of the season, I said to the boys that I wanted to be in the mix come Christmas,” Sweeney told the Donegal News.
“I wasn’t going in saying that I wanted Deele to win the league but I wanted us to be competitive.
“We have done well so far but Drumoghill are going to be a big test for us.
“I was down at Drumoghill for a season helping with coaching and there are a lot of good players there.
“You have the likes of Liam O’Donnell who is always very hard to keep quiet.
“They have a couple of Lagan boys as well that I wouldn’t be very familiar with but they have big Dylan McElhinney at centre-half and he’s a solid player.
“It’s up to us to try and break them down.
“We have been doing ok in front of goal. Jordy has been playing well but he got injured and missed last week. Hopefully he can get back in for Drumogill.
“Tom Mullen joined us this year and it was a bit of a slow start but he’s finding his feet now.
“You have big Scott MacBeth in the mix as well and he’s a powerful man.
“They’re enjoying it and they know they are playing well but I just keep saying to them to keep their feet on the ground.
“There’s no point in saying this is our year. Liverpool were saying that for thirty years.
“You want to go out and win every game but that’s not always possible.
“Drumoghill are a good side and it will be a tough game but we haven’t been beaten at home yet and I’m looking to keep that record going.”
The banter has been flowing around Ballindrait and the surrounding areas this week after Deele claimed a fine 2-1 win over Lifford Celtic last week.
Mullen, who has previously been on the books of Swilly Rovers and Bonagee United, bagged both goals in the derby success, and Deele are happy to claim the bragging rights.
Sweeney was just pleased to see his team come through in a tight fought battle.
“The form has been good over the last couple of days, it was a big result for us.
“It was a good game. Lifford aren’t a bad wee outfit.
“They have a couple of good young players.
“It was nip-and-tuck for a long time. A draw would probably have been a fair result but we just got the wee bit of luck in the end.
“I don’t know when Deele last beat Lifford but it’s a good while anyway.
“In fairness to the boys they trained really well last week and were up for it.
“I was just trying to keep their feet on the ground because if you go into something too hyped up, then you can lose track of what you are trying to do on the pitch.
“There were no bad tackles or any malice in it or anything like that.
“Lifford are a good team and you can see what they are trying to do so we were very happy to get the three points.”
The third tier of Sunday football isn’t always hugely competitive but this season appears to be different.
Six clubs still have realistic ambitions of making a push for promotion, and as we have seen in recent weeks, teams will take points off one another.
“We played Cranford a couple of weeks ago and they are a very, very strong team.
“We played Whitestrand recently and were well beaten.
“Whitestrand is a really hard place to play football and they know how to play it down there.
“Nobody is going to open up and run away with the league. It’s going to be tight.
“I was in it for six years with the Curragh and I have been in this position once or twice.
“You either fall flat on your face or you keep going.
“Keeping everyone fit is the big one because there are a lot of good teams who can stop you on their day.”
