IT PERHAPS seems hard to believe, but tomorrow’s FAI Junior Cup tie against Grattan United in Cork is Drumoghill FC’s first ever in the national stage of the competition.
In their Ulster Senior League days in the late 1990s, the men from The Moss did advance in the Intermediate Cup, but they head this weekend to dip their toes in the choppy waters of Europe’s biggest Cup competition for the first time.
They’ve knocked on the door from the Donegal rounds in recent years, but haven’t got through – until now.
The draw could hardly have been tougher with a Saturday afternoon kick-off in Cork meaning a mid-afternoon departure today for an overnight stay by the Lee.
[adrotate group=”88″]“We have always been looking for a wee run in the Cup,” says Drumoghill manager Michael Lynch, who played in an Intermediate semi-final with Letterkenny Rovers in his time as a player.
“You take it from game to game. You want to challenge and test yourself against the best junior teams in the country.
“You have to look at the teams involved – and there are some very decent teams involved.
“A lot of it is down to luck. You’re going away to teams you know absolutely nothing about. Teams maybe aren’t as prepared as they would be in the League.”
The reigning Donegal League champions are joint top at the moment alongside Kildrum Tigers and they head south full of confidence.
Lynch’ side is littered with experience such as Terence Shiels who played for Letterkenny in last season’s Intermediate final.
The Drumoghill boss says: “I’d have no bother putting them out against any team. We put Leterkenny out of the Knockalla Cup last year and they reached the final of the Intermediate. We’ll give any team a game on our day.
“When you get out of the county, you want a home draw, but you deal with it if you’re drawn away. We’ll go and do our best and go and enjoy it.
“It’s an achievement already to get out of the county.”
Listen to the full interview below …
https://soundcloud.com/donegalsporthub-club-notes/michael-lynch-before-drumoghill-trip-to-cork
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