Enda McHugh had a long and fruitful senior career with Milford, and helped his club move up through the ranks.
He made his debut in 1999 as a goalkeeper, before establishing himself as a defender from 2002 until 2016. He is still lining out for Milford and is player-manager of the club’s reserve side this season.
McHugh has faced some top quality players over the course of his career and has this week picked the best fifteen he has faced.
Peter Boyle (Aodh Ruadh)
Peter had great presence as a number one. I remember him having a number of good performances against Milford and he denied us with several one-on-one saves. He was also handy at long-range frees.
Peter Boyle
Marcus Curran (Robert Emmets)
We had a number of big games with Robert Emmets around ’07/’08/’09 and Marcus Curran was one of their main men. He was a good man-marker but he also caused us a lot of trouble attacking from deep.
James Keaney (Bundoran)
Bundoran were probably best known for their forwards but they had a strong full-back in James Keaney. We played against them a few times and he was able to keep our forwards quiet, while he was well able to break up the field too.
Tommy McKinley (Naomh Colmcille)
Newtown struggled in the mid-noughties, but they started to emerge as Tommy McKinley broke through into the team. He was a great defender who was assured and comfortable on the ball. He emigrated at a young age which was a big blow to Naomh Colmcille.
Thomas McKinley
Danny McBride (Downings)
Danny could play in any position around the field. We would have had a lot of battles with Downings, and even though he usually played in defence, Danny was probably the biggest threat breaking from defence.
Shane McGowan (Bundoran)
Shane McGowan was a really solid defender, and it wasn’t easy to get past him. He was also a classy footballer, who was good on the ball and could make things happen.
Daire Ó Baoill (Gaoth Dobhair)
In later years, we moved up the ranks and played Gaoth Dobhair in a Gaeltacht game. Daire Ó Baoill was just out of minor then but he really stood out for his lightning pace. I was never the quickest, but he left me for dead on a couple of occasions.
Daire Ó Baoill
Malachy McDermott (Moville)
We lost League and Championship Finals to Moville in 2009, and Malachy was the main player for them. He drove them on and was very accurate from play.
Owenie McGarvey (Naomh Muire)
We got the better of Naomh Muire after a replay in the 2004 Junior Final, and would have played them regularly in the years after that. Owenie was a hard worker and a leader – he was like a manager on the pitch for them.
Owenie Mc Garvey.
Denis Boyle (Cloughaneely)
Denis was unbelievable with frees off the ground. He was always very lively in the half-forward line and could link the defence with the attack. When he played well, Cloughaneely generally did too.
David Walsh (Naomh Brid)
We would have come up against David when he came back from England, but it was mainly from 2011 onwards. He was a tough player with a serious workrate. Naomh Brid were always hard to beat if David was on the pitch.
David Walsh
JP Gallagher (Cloughaneely)
I marked JP in the Intermediate Championship in 2005, and it was a tough hour as he was able to find space anywhere inside the ’45’, he was able to point off his left foot.
Stephen Griffin (St Naul’s)
Stephen has been one of the top scorers in Donegal club football for over ten years now, and he was always deadly from frees. When I was playing against him, he was a versatile player who could come out the field if needed, but was dangerous in at full-forward.
Stephen Griffin of St Naul’s.
Seamus ‘Coshia’ Friel (Gaeil Fhánada)
We didn’t play against Fanad too often during my time, but they came down to Division 3 in 2005, and we went up against them. ‘Coshia’ stood out for his strength and intelligence on the pitch, and he didn’t miss many shots at the posts either.
Martin Caulfield
Martin Caulfield (Na Rossa)
I never liked the journey down to Dooey, and the trip home wasn’t pleasant either if you were marking Martin Caulfield. He gave me a few roastings down through the years. He was a very talented player, and was a big loss to Na Rossa when he emigrated.
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)