Shane Byrne says losing doesn’t sit well with his Glengad United players – who are gunning for glory in this evening’s Knockalla Caravans Senior Cup final.
Glengad face Bonagee United at Maginn Park (kick-off 7.30pm) looking to end the season with some silverware.
It has been a strange sort of season for The Crua men, who have yet to lift a trophy, but whose manager Shane Byrne describes as their ‘most successful yet’. Were Glengad to lose this evening, their manager points out, it would be the first time in eight years that they’d be trophy-less.
“We had a great season, getting to the FAI Junior Cup semi-finals and getting into the FAI Senior Cup, but we’re disappointed to relinquish our own League title,” Byrne told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub.
“It’s probably our most successful season yet and we’ve won nothing.
“These boys aren’t used to lose too many and it doesn’t sit well with them. We’ll give it everything we have.”
Glengad saw Greencastle take their Inishowen League Premier Division crown, after four successive winning campaigns, but have a chance at Maginn to topple USL side Bonagee and make up some part of that.
Bonagee boss Jason Gibson had success against Glenagd in a Knockalla final during his time as Swilly Rovers manager, while Cockhill Celtic and Letterkenny Rovers also edged Glengad in Knockalla deciders.
Byrne said: “It’s a Cup that we have a good record in. This is our fourth final. We have a good record without actually winning it. It’s a great competition and it’s great to be in the final.”
Byrne has a number of injury concerns heading into the game and he said: “It’ll be tough. If I had a full squad available, it would have been tough. When you’re missing six or seven it’s a different thing. We’ll go and give it our best shot.”
Listen to the full interview below …
