WITHOUT NEIL GALLAGHER, Glenswilly only won three games in five months and suggestions that the Foxhall men could win Dr Maguire seemed fanciful, at best.
Gallagher’s return, though, coincided with Glenswilly finding form and maintaining momentum to take them through to today’s triumph.
Picture caption: Glenswilly’s Neil Gallagher. Picture by Geraldine Diver.
Gallagher played his first club game of 2016 at the end of August when Michael Canning’s team defeated Dungloe in the Championship.
Before then, the big midfielder watched from the sidelines having struggled with an injury picked up while playing for Donegal against Roscommon in Letterkenny in March.
That evening when Glenswilly did the business in a must-win encounter with Dungloe was the day they turned the corner – and they never looked back.
“Numbers were down and boys were away and I just can’t believe it,” Gallagher, a man of few words, beamed after today’s 1-10 to 0-12 win over Kilcar secured their third SFC win.
“I was struggling with injury for so much of this year and was hardly able to train but we were very well prepared.”
Gallagher has something resembling a telepathic understanding with Murphy and the Glenswilly goal was route one to perfection, Gallagher into Murphy, who did the rest.
“We were given no hope and in fairness Kilcar were flying but I just can’t believe it and this is just the best ever feeling,” Gallagher, missing a tooth and showing the scars of battle, said after the 6/1 outsiders scored a famous win.
“I was speechless back in 2011 but I am even more speechless now. I have never been in involved in a game like it.
“It means so much to us in the Glen and I suppose we lost by two points to St Eunan’s in the 2014 final and they were the better team on that day, but we just came out today and I am so very happy for all the boys.
“It was a tough year and we beat St Eunan’s in a league match by 0-3 to 0-2 and there was so much negativity around it, but to be here now and to win the championship is just great.”
[adrotate group=”53″]Few gave Glenswilly a chance heading to Ballybofey today, but they stayed disciplined throughout and frustrated Kilcar. Having scored 5-10 in the semi-final against Naomh Conaill, Kilcar didn’t get a sniff of a goal today.
Gallagher said: “I don’t really pay much attention to all of that as you still have to just go and win it no matter if you are big favourites or not, you still have to go an win it.
“Massive respect to Kilcar as they came out in the second half and they really gave it to us.”
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