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‘Get behind our boys’ 20.01.12
Oscar Traynor Trophy, Maginn Park, Sunday 2pm

by Caoimhinn Barr, Inishowen Independent

Manager Diarmuid O’Brien is hoping for a huge crowd at Maginn Park this Sunday as the Inishowen League takes on Roscommon with a place in the quarter-final of the Oscar Traynor Cup up for grabs.
With all senior teams enjoying a free weekend, it is expected that hundreds of local football followers will descend on Buncrana for the crunch clash.
“We have a young, talented squad and hopefully, with the teams having a free Sunday, we will get a massive crowd at Maginn. I would urge all local football fans to come over and support the boys,” he said.
Despite the fact that the local stars hammered the Donegal League 6-1 in the last round, O’Brien thinks his team can improve further.
“Strangely we didn’t play that great against Donegal in the play-off. We blitzed them with four goals in around thirteen minutes but I think we can raise it to an even higher level this Sunday afternoon,” he said.
“We have talent all over the pitch and great pace with Nigel McMonagle and Terence Doherty in attack added to Anthony Doherty and Jason Devlin on the wings. Gerard McEleney and Liam Hirrell have been rocks at the back and we don’t concede many goals – only one in three games so far and that was a slip.”
With keeper Declan O’Donnell working in the US, O’Brien is set to hand the starting gloves to Glengad’s impressive number one, Martin McLaughlin.
The manager, who will begin to finalise his starting eleven after a training session in Culdaff this evening, has somewhat of a quandary in midfield though with Aileach’s James Gillespie pushing Shane Canning (Moville) and Patrick McDermott (Glengad) all the way for a starting role.
Understandably O’Brien knows little about the threat carried by Roscommoin given the fact that the teams last clashed more than a decade ago.
“Their group was a bit strange as everyone beat everyone else but we expect Roscommon to be a good, strong side and it’ll certainly not be easy for us. But hopefully we’ll have enough in the tank on Sunday to get us over the line,” he added.
Should Inishowen overcome Roscommon on Sunday afternoon they will have the added advantage of another home tie, against Limerick in the last eight of the prestigious tournament.
For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent.
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