Selection process to begin for new minor and under-21 managers

THE Donegal County Board hopes to appoint new minor and under-21 managers early next month.

Nominations for the positions closed on Monday evening and the Board is aiming to have names for ratification by the next meeting of the Donegal county committee on September 7^th.

The Executive meets on Thursday night when they will firm up the selection process and appoint a sub-committee to interview the candidates.

Donegal Sport Hub has learned that Declan Bonner, who was the Donegal Minor team manager for the last two campaigns, has been nominated for the Under-21 post.

Bonner guided the minors to back-to-back Ulster Minor League titles, adding the 2014 Ulster minor championship crown as well as reaching the All-Ireland minor final.

Maxi Curran (pictured above) had been the Under-21 manager since 2012 and reached three Ulster finals in a row.

Curran’s Donegal were pipped at the post by Tyrone in this year’s decider after two final defeats to Cavan.

Shaun Paul Barrett, who had challenged Bonner for the minor manager’s job last autum, has been nominated for both the minor and under-21 positions.

It is believed that St Naul’s Brian McCabe, the current Donegal Under-17 manager, is in the hat for the minor vacancy while Naomh Columba’s Paddy J McGinley is understood to have been put forward for the under-21 job.

“It is in our interest to get the positions filled as soon as possible,” Donegal Chairman Sean Dunnion said.

“We will discuss it at our meeting tonight and we will agree a process. The target is to have the names for ratification at the September meeting.”