Now or never

Malin and Buncrana face make or break home games in the first round of the Donegal Senior Football Championship this Sunday, as they both bid to overturn first leg defeats. Louis Walsh’s Malin side welcome Donegal Town side Four Masters to Connolly Park aiming to avenge their 0-10 to 0-03 beating at Tir Chonaill Park three weeks ago. Malin are currently sitting pretty at the top of Division 2 following their win over Killybegs on Sunday and captain Paddy Kelly believes the side are playing with confidence. “Sunday is a big game as we’ve been trying hard to get out of the first round of the championship over the last couple of seasons,” he told the Inish Times. “Four Masters are one of the best sides in the county and would be many people’s favourites to win the competition but we know what they are about now from the first game and we are looking forward to it. “They defended well against us, and we found them hard to break down. But hopefully with a big crowd behind us at home and with the players who we now have back from College and Declan Walsh back from playing with the Under 21s we can put it up to them.” Malin boast one of the most accurate free takers in the county in Anthony Kelly and with pacy forwards like Matthew Byrne and Gary Walsh in their forward line they boast the fire power to cause Four Masters problems. Meanwhile down at the Scarvey, Buncrana will welcome West Donegal giants Gweedore who have won the Championship twice in the last eight years. It has been a difficult season for the town’s footballers this year as they currently prop up the Division Two table, but midfielder Paul McGonigle believes the Championship could offer a welcome distraction. “Realistically we aren’t going to win the Senior Championship but we’d still like to give it a real rattle on Sunday,” he said. “It’s been a difficult season for us so far this season but it hasn’t been for lack of effort from the players and we’ll take this as an opportunity to correct that. “If we can stay close to Gweedore then we may be able to get a burst of scores on the break to pull away.” Buncrana will be without their linchpin forward Ryan Bradley who was harshley dismissed in their League defeat to Kilcar at The Scarvey on Sunday. And McGonigle revealed that he is one of a number of players who are unavailable. “We will be missing a lot in attack without Ryan and Gavin McConnell who injured his hamstring in the first leg in Machaire Gathlán and hasn’t recovered. “I am unlikely to be fit myself and Sean Coyle, who has been our best defender this season has moved to London and is therefore out as well.” Both of Sunday’s games throw in at 3pm with the respective reserve ties throwing in at 1.30pm.