 opinion on what lies ahead and coming up later on we'll hear the thoughts of Con McLaughlin the former Finn Harps captain who is a longtime referee of course and the chair of the Donegal branch of the Irish Soccer Referee Society. Con has been speaking to Chris Ashmore on the shortage of referees here and the issues the men in the middle have to deal with on any given Saturday or Sunday afternoon so busy program lies ahead we're going to be joined by our first guest in a moment or two just want to bring you some some of this evening sports headlines two-time European indoors medalist Mark English well he was forced to withdraw from this year's event in Istanbul the Donegal man pulled out due to illness leaving 13 Irish athletes to compete at the championships which start started this evening in fact in English who was due to compete in the heats of the 800 meters well he says that naturally he's very disappointed not to be taking his place on the start line so this evening we're going to throw in with Geely games and I'm joined on the line by former Donegal player and Glenfinn club man Frank McLaughlin as we preview another weekend of Allianz national football league games Frank great to have you on the program hope all is well yeah all's good yeah thanks very much German for for having me not a bother Frank the evenings are getting that wee bit longer I'm sure you and your club colleagues in Glenfinn are well into your your preparations for the new campaign yeah a week or two done now at the stage so it's good to see the club backs and the club team's getting back out to the training pitch and I suppose the weather's been kind enough there this past week so hopefully that'll hold up for us to keep the pitches and acting over the next couple of weeks it is indeed well I will look forward to the new season once it gets up and running won't be too long away but first tonight we're going to look at at this weekend's games Frank um in a moment or two but before we do that I suppose I can ask your thoughts on the situation here in Donegal surrounding the academy and Carolee assists departure from his role you played your county football with Carolee of course you know him well and the academy had been a notable success under under his guidance yeah definitely of course Carolee from on the playing days together you know no matter what he does he would he would give it a hundred percent and I suppose off the field this role is in the academy and he's done that as well you know and as you said there was great progress been made but for for one reason or another I suppose this week with the statement from the county board Carolee's resignation has been I suppose reluctantly accepted you know it is maybe perhaps an ending point to the to the episode but I suppose it's um it's a disappointment for for everyone involved you know it's what the progress that has been made and you know the coaches that were involved and I suppose the biggest loser heard of out of all of us is that the underage boys um but under 14 15 and 16 level you know who were have been involved in that academy structure pre-Christmas and because of one thing or another that ceased um you know so yeah I suppose it's a matter of refocusing and hopefully getting the structure up and running again to to benefit those boys that have that have missed out over this past month or two and and I suppose get the the county as a whole behind it to I suppose it'll hopefully come through and benefit our 17s and 20s and senior team and and years to come yeah and I think as you say Frank it's something that had been dragging on but hadn't it over the last few weeks but that that statement now from the county board this week suggests that you know matters may well now move on yeah that's a disappointment for that statement being released while it's not ideal and I suppose what the progress that was made it would have been the ideal word maybe that progress should have been continued or could have been continued but I'm sure there's a lot of things that carol in the academy had in place that you know that were walking well um will will be continued you know and that's the main thing I suppose that that the structure and the positive work that was going on has continued no matter what no matter what structure is put in place that that we keep the things we're working on and you know perhaps there's other things that can be improved on because as far as we all know there's there's nothing perfect but no important thing is is to get it back up in London for the benefit of the the boys of the county you know that are that are interested and committed to to get a football okay okay well that's the most important thing well are my against donnie gall then Frank on saturday evening donnie gall will will head to the athletic grounds with another point on the board after that draw with golly but was it a point dropped against golly do you think frank or perhaps a point gained ah yeah look it's that's probably a difficult one you know coming out of a donnell park I suppose donnie gall when there were two points behind that second half and they were struggling to get scores you know while they had lots of chances they'd be disappointed I suppose they didn't take more of those chances I suppose donnie gall supporters probably left you know reasonably happy you know because at a stage they're looked as if we weren't going to get anything out of the game and on the same token I suppose golly looking back at it I'm not so sure whether they'll be too disappointed with that point as well because I suppose there was a lot of things they could have done could have done better as well so I think a point was probably a fair result but I do think going under this weekend's game donnie gall I think the players management should approach it with a lot more confidence you know I think there was a there was almost a sense of hope rather than any expectation hadn't delivered to any last week you know but I think the players I suppose really dug in you know when they did go two points down you know they really opened up and created more chances in that last five to ten minutes of a football than what they did in the previous period so and that alone is a has a huge positive for the players you know that's when push came to shove you know there was players stepping up and wanted to wanted to take responsibility and looking at the league table then frank after last weekend's games you know it's very interesting isn't it and I was listening to some pundits during the week suggesting that you know perhaps aside from mayo and ross common who are both sitting on six points after their four matches anybody from carry the whole way down to to their own will be still looking over their shoulders and you know they're not they're not just safe just yet yeah that's it there's I suppose there's three huge games of football on on this again this four for what don't like all our mapping you know first you know the wonders that game is is going to go to five points you know with the with the loser remaining on three and then suppose you've carried and hilly parked there if they were to get a victory it would leave her over maybe maybe cut off at the at the bottom from from a number of the teams and then you call him on as well it's going to be an interesting one so the loser that is going to be is both dragged towards the the bottom of the table you know so there are three huge games but it always is the same case you know in league football and especially in division one division two and those those competitive real competitive divisions you know and in the given day a team can can get the better off you and I suppose I don't see the the game of the weekend being in a different there's never much between Armand on equal I don't expect there to be too much between the two teams again on Saturday evening and never an easy place to go Frank the athletic grounds no it's definitely not but you know it's a it's a it plays a narrow pitch up there so it does you know it looks it looks big and it might be long and play but definitely plays narrow in the crowd and in the top of you know so it lends itself to a great atmosphere you know and it normally always produces a a good game of football when the two counties go head to head but certainly I suppose I don't think any of the two teams will be appropriate with any with any fear I think they'll both see it as a as a wonderful game and they're both similar teams and in many respects you know with huge physicality and big men all over the all over the pitch it's a great game to look forward to indeed it is and you know what there's a fair number of good games lined up again this weekend as you mentioned Tarone against Kerry he's going to be it's going to be some game at Haley Park and that's on Sunday there are three games on Saturday evening Frank the Armand only goal game throws in at half past seven at five o'clock Derry play hosted Dublin in division two now that's going to be a cracker isn't it as well given the fact that both teams are sitting pretty at the top of division two yeah that's it in this force looking at the two teams Derry have probably got to the top of the table with Dublin in a more maybe impressive style you know with maybe bigger one on margins and I think Dublin are just doing enough just to get two points each day but I suppose they're one on without playing you know without excelling or without maybe reaching their their full potential at the minute but certainly they're going to get a huge test in Celtic Park on Saturday evening and it's an intriguing game so it is it'll be interesting to see you know how both teams approach it you know because I think it's going to be very tactical in those those early stages and it'll be interesting also with the venue of Celtic Park you know with Derry you know having that huge victory against me out in Ombay you know it'll be interesting to see does that does that change when they're playing in Celtic Park yeah and you know when I was presenting this program two weeks ago Derry were due to play me and Martin McHugh was our guest that night Frank and I remember posing the question to him that you know me we're going to provide Derry with a real test but like Derry beat me and last weekend there were so convincing winners against Kildare they're on some run and listen hitting form at just the right time ahead of the of the arrival of Dublin yeah I suppose it's probably probably maybe there's an influence there of the of the championship structure in this year you know with the teams in division two you know there's huge pressure to reach the top of that division two you know to maybe safeguard against the talson cup of the provincial championships doesn't go your way with the structure this year so I think Derry identified the league from from early on I think you can see that with you know with their fitness levels at the current time you know and even the the slack needle players from the heart they're involved in the club championship you know and the Glen players were were straight back into the fold as well you know so certainly they put a huge emphasis on the league football so I suppose at this stage in time they're probably a little bit ahead of some teams you know but it'll be interesting to see in the latter stages of the championship you know to see how those those energy levels and fitness levels are sustained okay listen Frank always good to chat to you um it's great to have you on the program program tonight and listen best wishes with your pre-season preparations with Glenn Finn ahead of the new campaign and we'll talk to you soon thanks very much jimmy thank you take care Frank McGlynn there and uh that donnie goll our mag game as we mentioned the half past seven throw in at the athletic grounds on Saturday evening Oshin Kelly and Martin McHugh will have full match commentary from that game in it Saturday evening is going to be great in terms of football entertainment because the Derry Dublin game precedes that game it throws in it's five o'clock at Derry against Dublin in Celtic Park so we look forward to that by the way one other game on Saturday is leash against Waterford that's in division four and just to mention those division one games then on Sunday Tarone and Kerry throws in a quarter to one Galway against Monhan again at quarter to one and Russ Kamen against Mayo throws in at quarter to three we're going to go for a quick break sport on Highland is brought to you by Michael Murphy Sports and Leisure beat your personal best with new trainers from Assix Brooks and New Balance or gear up for the gym with active wear from Under Armour and Adidas the new TFI live app from Transport for Ireland makes getting real-time information and planning your journey on TFI buses trains and trams easier than ever the TFI live app combines the real-time Ireland and journey planner apps which are no longer supported from the 22nd of February you can also search for timetables save your favorite trips and stops and more download the TFI live app on Android and iPhone for free today see transport for Ireland dot ie sleek smooth safe modern oh you want to hear more do you want to drive the most modern car in Johnny Gall there's a reason why it's our county's favorite car the brand new diesel Kia Sportage the multi award-winning SUV is available at iMotors now our team will take care of all of your needs visit iMotors.ie or call into us today because how you feel when you drive is important to us sport on Highland is brought to you by Michael Murphy Sports and Leisure recover from the toughest sessions with foam rollers and massage guns or find your flow with the latest yoga mats and blocks in store and online at Michael Murphy Sports.ie and you're welcome back before I leave Gilly Games just for now want to mention a few fixtures as well this weekend in the Under 20 Development League Donny Gall in action on Saturday they're away to Mayo at one o'clock on Saturday the minor footballers are in minor league action as well this weekend again they're away to Fermana and Devonish at 12 noon on Saturday and our hurlers are in action in the Under 20 Cup at half past one in the GA centre in convoy they host Antrim and I was also going to mention yeah the Donny Gall hurlers that's the senior hurlers they're playing in their delayed McGurk Cup final that's on this evening throwing at 8 o'clock up in Belfast making McCann side taking on Ulster University in the decider of that pre-season competition well the third round of matches in the New League of Ireland season takes place over the coming weekend it's been an interesting opening couple of weeks as clubs settle into their stride although some would appear to be settling into their stride a wee bit quicker than others former fanharps defender Joe Boyle has joined me in studio to look ahead to this weekend's games Joe it's good to have you on board thanks for coming in this evening so good to be up and running again Joe great for fans to get the chance to go out and watch the action again whether that's in the Brandiwell or at Finn Park yes great that the league's back and you know that first night in Finn Park although it was a horrible night what a crowd was there and hopefully you know the same amount of people have come back this week now for to see Finn Harps play against Bray and you know when you think of Bray everybody's memories of Finn Harps always goes back to that cup final trilogy and hopefully this time Finn Harps will come out on top and you know it's been a difficult start for him two defeats but you know I really do fancy their chances this week to get something positive against Bray at home and listen two defeats way too early to to be hitting the panic button just yet Joe but a home one tomorrow night would be be a welcome result wouldn't it yeah it's huge look at and I think Dave Rogers has started off where you can see what he's trying to do with his players you can see the patterns that they're looking to do and you know it will take a couple of weeks for them to settle down he's come with a brand new squad he's come with a very very young squad you know he has the experience of Keith Cowan there at the back but it's a really really young squad and you know I think it's really important how that the people of Donnie Gull do get behind the team and make sure that there's a big crowd there this week for the for the Bray match and you know that's something that's going to be really really important yeah and and on that that the squad that he has brought in Joe and as you say there's so many new faces in there it is going to take a wee bit of time to settle somebody was asking me during the week about about the setup at Harps and you know what do we think about it and I was suggesting that he's made some very good signings there looks to be you know plenty of quality in there now it's a case of getting them to play as a team yeah and look at you know you hear managers talking six months into a season that you know they've a new squad and it's taking time for them to build a squad you can see it man United at the minute you know ten hags come in there and it's taken him quite a while to turn them around and you know this isn't the same as man United but you know it's it's very important that he does get that time but such a young group of players you know it's very very difficult to keep coming with a new squad of players year on year and again I think it's really really important that people are patient and again you know with the inclusion of Noah Babbage during the week I think that's for me is a really really good addition to the team and you know Noah when he was a young lad and you know what I do know of him back then you know if he has any of that ability and that's drives that he had back then that's a huge addition to the team yeah he's a midfielder with plenty of I mean he's played at a good level hasn't he Joe yeah and he's quality you know and you know again if he comes with that desire that he showed when he was a young lad you know I'm sure that's going to be a huge huge addition to the to the squad there as well yeah so well that's that's been harbson this game one of four taken place on Friday night and Bray Wanderst as you as you mentioned that the outset harbs games against Bray over the years we've enjoyed some some classic spectacles and that Bray team one of a number of sides in the first division who have been down there trying to get back out of the first division so you would suggest those clubs might be a wee bit further on than harps at this stage in terms of their you know their their setup and and the potential for them to get get promotion out of this division they've brought in Ian Ryan you know and Ian Ryan's an experienced manager in the league he's been with Wexford and you know he's been with UCD he was in line to get the bow's job just before Declan Divine as well you know there was a lot a lot of speculation there and you look at some of the players that he's brought in you know we would be well aware of Chris Lyonsome last year you know playing with Rohan and that so he's brought in a lot of really good players Max Murphy's come in from Bohemian so in that there he's got a lot of experience and again look at somebody who's broke our hearts in Balboffet a few times as Dean Massey with some of his free kicks so when you have that quality of player coming to Balboffet you know that manager will be expecting big big things but I do feel that this is an opportunity for harps and again the weather's been good this week the pitch will be firm hopefully it'll be stage dry and it'll allow the team to play football because I felt that night against Galway not alone were they playing against Galway were they playing against Dolly Horrigan they were also playing against the conditions yeah you know you couldn't have back you couldn't have stacked the deck more against Fenharps that night if you're if you're a tried and I do think it's important now this week that the crowd does get behind them and again that the team can maybe get that support that they need to get across the line and get their get their first three points of the season and what conference they would get in that as well that would be huge for the yeah they're at home the following weekend again aren't they yeah yeah and that's that's going to be important for them you know that they have that opportunity that you know that they can do that and they can get those those three points because you know to have Brad any going to Wexford and then they've got a way to Longford and they're at home to Cove so you know out of those next four matches you know he'll be looking to make sure they can build on build on that and get get a run out get a run off a couple of positive results and just to build that confidence within the squad okay the other games on Friday night then carry against Treaty United Waterford playing hosted Galway perhaps the the big game in the first division this weekend and Wexford play Athlone Town harps against Brake kicks off at eight o'clock the big game of the weekend that stands out undoubtedly is a Talisterium tomorrow night Joe where last year's top two in the Premier Division meet with with Shamrock Rovers hosting Derry City you know this will be played in front of a packed house knowing Derry they're not going to make it easy for their hosts aren't they not at all you know and what he call them when you look at the business Rory Higgins has done since he's come in and you know how he's got the team playing and how he's got them to buy in to what he's looking for this is it's just such a pity for us here watching and wanting to be watching fan harps that that games on and Friday night you know to be wouldn't be great that we could be could have been watching that game on a Saturday evening or or even this evening where everybody in the country could get to watch you know two of the best teams but again you know Shamrock Rovers comes into this off a sticky start would have had two draws I know they would be disappointed to give away points last week they are down a couple of central defenders this week who will be serving suspension so what an opportunity for Rory Higgins and his team now to be going to Dublin and looking to try and get something out of this match and wouldn't it be a huge a huge fill-up for them if they could put one over Shamrock Rovers this early in the season and put a gap of maybe what is it could be five points between them now and I know it's only early in the season but you know it does put Shamrock Rovers under pressure but no one Stephen Bradley and his players and how they go about their business you know you'd have to say that you'd be very confident that you know they'll bounce back after they're drawing Sligo and they're drawing Drawhada where they'll be looking to bounce back and put a put a very very positive performance on and you know put Derry to the sword as well and the fact that Shamrock Rovers draw points against those clubs Joe whatever about Sligo Rovers I mean we're always impressed by certainly Sligo at the show grounds but not picking up a win at Drawhada would that suggest that you know there might not be many easy games in the Premier Division this year for earlier them absolutely not you know and you know Cork when you look at the Table Air Cork and Colin Haley will be disappointed but you know there's very very little in those matches and you know when you're playing against the likes of a Drawhada or a Cork or those teams that are coming up even Scherlburne and we seen that last year with Finn Harps getting that first goal was so so important and I think maybe it might suit Shamrock Rovers playing against Derry because there'll be there'll be more of a 50-50 match than Shamrock Rovers dominating the ball and a team being able to sit in Derry won't do that because that's not how they play and you know they will be looking to go and put Shamrock Rovers under pressure and looking to play their pattern as well so it might actually shoot Shamrock Rovers this weekend not to have a team sitting back in and you know what what a large numbers in defence so you know a really really big match this weekend and you know really exciting that we're having a matches like this so early in the season to get people's interest and I think you know to me that's that's a really really big game this weekend and what about balls then Joe there the team that have started perhaps the best in the Premier division so far away to Shelburne and another Dublin Derby and they might take advantage of the fact that Shamrock Rovers or Derry said they are perhaps both of them will draw points this weekend yeah and you know I think Declan Devine deserves great credit and you know just looking at since the season ended and up to the season started he's been going about his business quietly he's got a couple of great signings in there he's strengthened up things and again you know it's a big big Dublin Derby this weekend and you know normally when you'd be looking at a Dublin Derby that would be the headline gig but it just shows that you know where the league is at at the minute the Shelburne V-Bows you know it's in stiff competition with with Shamrock Rovers and Derry but I think that's really really positive for the league the underage structure got underway last weekend as well Joe didn't it the various underaged matches across the league of Ireland he's still keeping a close eye on how things are going yeah looking this weekend where Finharps under 14s and 15s are playing Derry in the under 17s are going to be playing Dundalk and they're all at home so you know busy busy weekend watching football this weekend and you know the under 90s I think have a week off this week with the way that the league is designed so you know it's great to see all the underage players coming back in and you know seeing them strides that they can and you know looking at the young lads now coming into the squad and getting that opportunity with the first team I think it's really really exciting times for for Finharps yeah and it's and it's proven successful as it Joe mean the whole academy set up but it's it's it's a relatively new concept isn't it it's only going this last well it's a few years now but yeah you know back back when you and I were playing there was no such thing as no it wasn't I think it's I think it's very very important particularly for the young players that they see that pathway from their schoolboy clubs and I think that's really really important that the structure of the schoolboy's club provide and that pathway then for one or two from different clubs throughout the county can then come together with fellas from other clubs and they have the opportunity to play at that level in the national league and I think that's really really important and let's not forget that you know Finharps and I have taken on the the girls teams as well and that's going to ask you about that yeah and you know this weekend the national league for the the ladies are starting this weekend so you know it's really really good and you know after the weeks whether we've had it's really important and we're going to the weekend where hopefully that'll continue and you know loads of people can get out and watch matches yeah and the thing is they're not all in balba fae they're you know they go out to out the yeah they're spread they're spread about you know the matches this weekend are mostly on Lyric any and you know on the astroturf which means that the players can get the ball down and play the ball and be really really quick the balls and play all the time and the skill level that's required off the players to play at that level you know that's that makes it so much much better for them and you know it's a it's a good product and I think if you have the opportunity to go and watch some of the underage teams whether it's in the boys or the girls or any of the the league teams that you see and again looking at Derry's underage structure Sligo's underage structure you know it's really really important that people can get out one to support them but two to see the level that these young players are operating at and they deserve our support don't they Joe because you know the season starts now this weekend for the ladies it started last weekend for the boys but these teams have been preparing for these for weeks now but in huge effort huge commitment Joe I mean it's fascinating the stuff but credit to everybody involved and their families as well you know they may have to travel from from their different parts of Donegal to get them to train in two or three times a week and like that's I know from being working with Harps with Declan at the under 70 in 19th you know we trained in the Rakenny we trained three times a week and had a match whether that was in Donegal or that could have been down as far as Dublin or whatever it was you know the boys who had to travel the Fords were the fellas who were there first for us you know that commitment that their family showed and you know to get themselves there to still do their schoolwork and to do all of that you know it is it's a great testament to the boys and to the girls and to their families and again that goes hand in hand with like the likes of the FEI Emerging Talent you know where they're working together with the clubs to make sure that pathway is there and again you see this week where young Kate McGrath has played with the Irish under 50s as well so you know the more opportunities they get then hopefully the more opportunities they'll get to get caps and to move on and you know we're looking always looking for the next Jamie Coleman exactly exactly well all details of those fixtures by the way for the various underage sides not just from Harps with Dairy City as well you can find them on the various social media channels if you want to see some of the action this coming weekend okay Joe that's it thanks for calling in with us this evening and having a look ahead to what promises to be another fascinating weekend of action in the league of Ireland Dairy City against Shamrock Rovers that game at the Talastadium on Friday night is an eight o'clock start and it's the same kickoff time for Harps against Bray Wanderers albeit that one will have live regular updates from Finn Park for now though we're going to grab another quick break. Sport on Highland is brought to you by Michael Murphy Sports and Leisure you'll find everything you need to stay motivated this year in store and online with free next day delivery on orders over 85 euro at Michael Murphy Sports dot i e need help designing or understanding plumbing requirements for your new bathroom is not a problem our experienced staff are equipped to handle any type of bathroom installation from a simple tap replacement to a complete bathroom overhaul call in and see us and view our checklist to make sure you have everything in order it could save you money and a huge amount of hassle McDade's bathroom plumbing tiles bunkrana making things simpler for you sleek smooth safe modern oh you want to hear more do you want to drive the most modern car in Johnny Gall there's a reason why it's our county's favorite car the brand new diesel Kia Sportage the multi award-winning SUV is available at iMotors now our team will take care of all of your needs visit iMotors dot i e or call into us today because how you feel when you drive is important to us hello thanks for waiting could you hold the line yeah no problem now how can i help you hi i'm looking to make some updates to my insurance policy have you tried our online portal i thought it would be easier to call yeah yeah no you're gonna have to log on to amend your policy thanks for calling no no wait i don't know my password get the feeling that your insurer doesn't want to talk to you at local insurance we understand your needs call today for a bespoke quote or find us online at local insurance dot i e local insurance we'll get you sorted the local insurance network DAC trading is local insurance is regulated by the central bank of Ireland local insurance is a tide insurance intermediary of acorn brokerage limited acorn brokerage limited trading is acorn insurance is regulated by the central bank of Ireland sport on highland is brought to you by michael murphy sports and leisure with all the equipment you need to get fit this year including home gym equipment like weights skipping ropes resistance bands and exercise balls to the score tonight's program comes to you on a difficult week for everyone connected with football and donnie gall the passing of cairne mcgrath a member of litter kenny rovers and Liam holly a former player and member of bonagy united prompted great shock last evening indeed cairne was a former guest on this program in his capacity as an administrator with the donnie gall school boys league he was also a regular contributor to our weekend sports coverage and more recently he had taken up the role of registrar with the ulster senior league with all club activities at litter kenny rovers and bonagy united have been postponed as a mark of respect and this weekend's ulster senior league games have also been called off cairne and lame will be so sadly missed their passing will be felt most by their respective families and to them and to their many friends we offer our thoughts and our prayers at this sad time well gary duffy is the manager of boncran a heart to this weekend play host to saint michael's of tipper airy in the last eight of the fei junior cup and gary joins us on the program via zoom gary hopefully you're through to the problem or to the program okay thanks for joining us this evening yeah okay yeah gary i'm always afraid of my life at zoom but anyway you're through there and i can hear you loud and clear another big game then for for boncran a gary this run in the fei junior cup has generated so much excitement and interest and the big games keep on coming with st michael's the next cup test yeah another big game and another good buzz about the town and that's that's great to be part of it and uh we'll give it a crack and see where it goes and and they were they were winners back in 2019 aren't they they're a household name in junior football here in ireland and this team really has some pedigree yeah yeah 2019 they wanted yes they're they're a great football giants in in the junior junior area of ireland um several caps several cap players for for their country um and lots of areas um so yes they're they're a big site yeah so for you as a manager gary and for your for your players to be to be mixing it with with the likes of well we saw till devon a couple of weeks ago st michael's this weekend that's what it's all about isn't it without a doubt it's brilliant um great to be involved in these games and as i said a couple weeks ago there's a different buzz about the town different buzz about the club and the longer we go on these competitions the more we'll mature as players and the better we'll get the uh long term and their careers maybe a junior wherever they end up but only make us a better a better team yeah and it it can't be difficult to get the players up for games like this i'm sure they you know the balls around the training and things like that gary is is is must be really really good to enjoy yeah so great great to be part of it and really good balls after the the game on on sunday v move all after getting ourselves into another final so a follow on from that day and that was that was nice to be in a final leading in to this week's game which which was was very good training training on last night was was good everybody a good step about them and a good ball just what you're looking for as a manager yeah that that mobile game then last weekend that was a an ulster junior cup semi final a 1-0 victory gary and i know you're a wee bit behind them in the in the league you've got games in hand and things like that but you know that that certainly laid down a wee marker for for the for the title run and let's suggest yeah look a 1-0 victory scrappy game probably move all at the best in the first half and second half of scrappy probably only chance of the game jimmy did scored it but look for the run and we've got mobile left to play once and we've four all our teams to play who who are all good sides so a lot of football left to play it and the league yeah okay well at least you can park up league league matters for for the time being and look look forward now to sunday big crowd at castle park for the quarterfinal one or for the last round victory over over salt till devon that was great to see i'm sure those who were there for that one they'll all be back out again this weekend gary and hopefully maybe a few more along with them yeah great great to see um you'd be proud when you look up at the wall to see the amount of local people are coming out to support uh local sides and that's great for the lads as well we've got probably 90 percent of the players they're all local lads came came through the club from on the raise level right up the senior so look it's it's something you look up way way a bit of pride and just long may it last and look hopefully we get more out in sunday to drive them on because it means a lot to the players and myself to see so many logos down supporters and such big games yeah and listen boncran has always been a proud club a great tradition over the years and i can only imagine what a game like this means for for your club and the committee members many of them i'm sure would have experienced the good and the the not so good times at castle park gary yeah without a doubt well the the crowd that we have there at the minute and the committee and behind the scenes what have only experienced the not so good um the older generation i better be careful what i say um what enjoyed the so good times with the senior league and the boncran of cops and and stuff like that so this this generation of volunteers and and players would have been more involved in the not so good so it's great that it's turned and it's turned on the so good at the minute and hopefully that keeps going for us and the people behind the scenes deserve great credit for the amount of work they've done to help us along the way yeah and and when a team from dunny gall whether it's the dunny gall league or the initial one league manages to progress to the last few rounds in the national competition gary you'll find that you know we're all getting behind you's all the all the clubs and football fans in the northwest will be watching out for you so on sunday and hoping that you do the business yeah look how we can have our battles and stuff on the pitch and we can wind each other up and whatever it may be and maybe we're not a shown league and obviously you come up against dunny gall league teams and you have your enemies on the pitch but when you see it when it comes to this lots of outsiders dunny gall league and teams in a shown text and you like during the week best of luck and hope it goes well for you and what times kick off and people from far away really wishing you could look for more clothes on that that means a lot as well because at the end of the day we're all football people and whatever local team you have left as a football man you thrive do you want to see them doing well and put the put dunny gall i'm going to show on the map indeed okay well what about team news then gary everybody available everybody putting their hand up for selection for sunday hi look we've everybody but one with one of the players that are struggling it's looking like he's not he's not going to make it he picked up an injury against cock hole two weeks ago so he's he's struggling to make it it's at the manner he's not going to make it but everybody else or not this is ready to rock okay and a half pass one start i would imagine with a big crowd expected you know supporters might be advised to get along early and and and get their spot and and enjoy hopefully what will be a a good game and hopefully the right result that's it one thirty start leave a few restrictions in place with the roads and the safari and stuff like that there yet so get there early and get a good spot open that upper wall make sure you have a blue and white hat on you okay okay gary listen best look on sunday we wish you all the best and let's let's hope that we're talking about we're we're going to preview an fei junior cup semi-final a couple of weeks time fingers crossed here with fingers crossed we'll be there it'll be a tough ask but we'll give it all as we've done in the cup so far and and see where it takes us and thanks very much thank you gary that's gary duffy there the manager of bunkranna hearts that match against that st michael's of tipperary kicks off at half past one on sunday that's in the fei junior cup quarterfinals and bunkranna are wished all the very best ahead of that big game one of a number of local soccer games actually taking place this weekend the dunigol league has another busy program of games i mentioned in that because there's an important game in the temple domestic appliance division one where swilly rovers will be crowned league champions this sunday if they manage to beat milford united at swilly park that game by the way as do all the rest of them of course kicking off at one o'clock and i would imagine there'll be a big crowd for that local derby in remelton swilly are currently eight points clear of milford in second spot and there are three games left to play in that division so swilly will be crowned champions and i would say that a draw would do them but that all depends on how good or Celtic who are in third spot how they get on in their match against drum king with all those fixtures there and again check out social media if you need more information on where your local side is playing this weekend we're going to go for another quick break hello thanks for waiting could you hold the line yeah no problem now how can i help you hi i'm looking to make some updates to my insurance policy have you tried our online portal i thought it would be easier to call yeah yeah no you're gonna have to log on to amend your policy thanks for calling no no wait i don't know my password 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right for free right price tiles and wood flooring up to 70 off birthday sale now on sport on ireland is brought to you by michael murphy sports and leisure recover from the toughest sessions with foam rollers and massage guns or find your flow with the latest yoga mats and blocks in store and online at michael murphy sports dot ie conrad lachlan chairman of the dunigold branch of the irish soccer referees society referees often the headlines players give out so easy to do so but behind the scenes so much going on and the bottom line is if we don't have referees we don't have soccer matches so you are an important cog in the big wheel the situation here at dunigold at the moment in terms of the numbers of referees it could be better it could be a lot better chris and uh the age of people refereeing as well could be better because unfortunately we're an age and group at the minute and there's not enough younger people coming in to take up the bottle so in recent years we've seen a big increase con in the number of actual fixtures especially at school boys school girls underage level and this has contributed to the shortage the surely the the number of games being played is way up the number of games has quadrupled over the last 10 years i would say chris and uh unfortunately the number of referees hasn't uh which means that on any given day a referee may have to ref one two maybe three games just to get the matches played and as you alluded there earlier games couldn't can't be played without referees going forward what can be done will there be a recruitment drive will there be a case of putting up a few red flags and saying hey we need we need more people in oh we've already done that and we've spoken to uh all the leagues in dunigold and all the clubs in dunigold and we were trying to get a situation where each club would put somebody forward to do referee and course and the referees courses couldn't be easier than they are at the minute because they're all going online which may come as a surprise to to some people and of course con like areas in coaching there is a pathway there you can start off at a local level you could end up doing a world cup final that's exactly it chris so any young person uh that has aspirations of going on to become a senior referee uh their first step is to one is through the dunigold branch of the srs and after progress through that then they will go on to be uh put onto a senior panel to do league of ireland football and anybody that's anybody's guess where they could go from there and there is a structure there there's fees at different levels and there's allowances for travel and yet you know i suppose one of the things that puts people off you need to probably be fairly thick skinned because you can be open to abuse and unfortunately we see incidents quite common well that's uh one of the reasons that people don't take up referee and referees unfortunately are the spearhead for abuse at most football games like you can never keep everybody happy and at the end of the day we go out as professional as we can to do as good job as we can but some of the abuse that is heard of referees is bordered on insanity at the minute do you look at your refereeing colleagues in rugby with some envy because they seem to command an awful lot of respect and there just doesn't seem to be the same issues we often talk about that you know for uh for a sport which is a lot more physical than soccer the players just a referee could be tiny compared to some of the players and the respect that is shown to their referees in rugby is absolutely brilliant from both the the players the management and the supporters and as well and it probably starts at a very young age as well that it's instilled in in rugby players you really just don't confront the referee you get on with it well that's the thing as well it starts at an early age and like we see it there at uh underage level and school boy level that the abuse uh a lot of the time comes from uh the dugouts or from parents on the sideline and you know the children then that are playing the game think that it's okay to show that they're everywhere as well and then there's other bad habits probably coming from watching television and certain people that you know maybe the odd youngster might be prone to copying a dive trying to pull a fast one and that's not good for the game in the long run they all tend to do that we were all young at one time and we we copied somebody or other at uh a senior professional level uh unfortunately as you say there is quite a bit of uh diving and crying about a tackle and all the rest uh it's a thing that has seemed to have gone out of the game that uh people cry after a tackle card though so going forward con you liaise very closely with the various leagues and the clubs as you've mentioned for the adult game here in the county what sort of numbers do you really need to to comfortably cover all the fixtures how many referees do you need in the county well at the moment we are have seven-day referees in the county uh there's only about less than half of those participate in the games the senior games of the weekend which means that referees unfortunately have to ref what saturday league and sunday league to comfortably comfortably cover the matches most referees are like myself they uh took up referees to stay in the sport and one game a week would be quite sufficient that's senior football and on top of that sometimes we have to double up uh by doing schoonboy games until we get in as well and during the summer then there'll be midweek games and all the rest so we could comfortably have matches for at least another 30 referees and as we've touched on there before the whole growth of the lady's soccer it looks as if that's only going to go one way we've got the Irish women's team in the world cup to look forward to and one would suspect that's going to lead to a an explosion of interest at grassroots level yeah well we found that over the last uh five years that ladies football has increased dramatically anyway particularly at underage level we used to have a league in the under 12s 14s that had maybe seven or eight teams in them now there's 14 15 16 teams in them the fact that the Irish ladies qualified for the world cup there's always an explosion of some kind when people qualify for certain tournaments and then there's will be on on real just back to the age profile and you touched on it there's quite a few referees maybe in the in the twilight of their careers two questions for you one in terms of the the fitness tests and the ability to do it uh is that an issue for some of them and the second question you know how young are the the youngest referees coming into the league at the moment the fitness test as you get older chris the fitness is not what it used to be but we do have uh an elite team of referees which qualify at the highest level of fitness which cover the top leagues and then the lower leagues are covered by the the player or the referees that can only do maybe a grade two or a grade three fitness test and uh you were saying about the youngest referees we have recruited over the last number of years referees that are in their late teens or early twenties there's only unfortunately a few of them that have done that we find that most people like to carry on playing as long as they can and we can't referee and the league that we're planning but players that are playing in the league can qualify as a referee and do screw boy leads and just finally con it can be a tough enough gig out there but obviously the people doing it you have to get some enjoyment out of it you have to get a kick out of it and when you come off the field and maybe nobody's talking about you sometimes that can be a very good sign well it's always a good sign at the end of a match of both sets of players come up and check your hand and as you say you're walking off the field nobody has any controversial issues with you and I personally went into referees to stay involved in uh soccer and the county and given that back unfortunately a lot of people don't do that and uh play looks enjoyable uh it's very sad some days when you're coming off the pitch and you're being abused by uh verbal abuse from supporters and players and stuff like that yeah it's uh it can be a problem all right but without the officials we wouldn't have the beautiful game con thanks for joining us we wish you every success in the future thanks very much chris that's the voice of con McLaughlin there in conversation with chris ashmore well Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenney has confirmed they want to add Scottish born winger Mikey Johnston to the squad currently on loan at Vittoria Gamerich in Portugal the Celtic player qualifies for Ireland through his grandparents Kenny says they hope to have Johnston registered in time for next month's games with Latvia and France an interesting one this Waterford say they're disappointed to have discovered an opposition analyst of a certain club filling him uh filming today's training session the Blues welcome Galway United to the RSC in the first division on Friday night Waterford say the person was removed and the incident will be reported to the FAI so yeah that game Waterford and Galway one of four matches on Friday night in the league of Ireland first division that's the 745 start at the RSC carry against Treaty United and Wexford against Athlone Town those other games are kicking off at 745 and the Finharp spray wonders match has an eight o'clock start by the way the game on Saturday night in the first division sees Longford Town playing host the Cove Ramblers at half past seven and there's a full program of games in the league of Ireland Premier Division tomorrow night including that big one at Tallastadium Shamrock Rovers against Dairy City kicks off at eight o'clock the Donegal Hurlers will play in the delayed McGurk Cup final that game just about to get underway up in Belfast it is a throw in of eight o'clock Mickey McCann's side taking on Ulster University in the decider of what's a pre-season competition and just on hurling Kyle Hayes will be suspended for Limerick's Allianz Hurling League game away to Westmeath he has accepted a one game ban after his hurl made contact with the face guard of Galway's a Brian Concanon last weekend some rugby news this evening forwards coach Paul O'Connell says Ireland's injury concerns should ease by the time they face Scotland next week James Low, Gary Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey and Kean Healy all set out the bulk of today's open training session at the Aviva O'Connell believes all four should be fit for the Six Nations trip to Murray Field. Sheamus Power shot a level power round of 72 on the opening day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational the Waterford golfer is five shots off the joint clubhouse leaders who are Chris Kirk and Cameron Young out on the course at the moment Shane Lowry is at one over power Rory McElroy and Padra Carrington are also taking part in this tournament and they are sitting at two over power well Luke McCann has qualified for tomorrow night's final of the men's 1500 meters at the European indoor athletics championships he placed fifth in his heat this evening but his time was good enough to qualify as a fastest loser however Andrew Koskren missed out on qualification by just 11 hundredths of a second by placing fourth in his heat earlier John Fitzsimons was fourth in his 800 meters heat and he failed to progress to the semifinals we mentioned earlier on the program that Mark English was forced to withdraw from the event earlier on today due to illness so big disappointment there for Mark Katie Taylor has indicated that her homecoming fight will still take place on May the 20th her original opponent for that date Amanda Serrano pulled out earlier this week due to an unspecified injury writing on social media this evening Taylor says she had welcomed a fight with Chantel Cameron at Dublin's three arena Cameron is undisputed super lightweight champion following November's win over Jessica McCaskill well that's all for this evening thanks to all our guests for their contribution on tonight's program the next local sport on Highland is tomorrow morning after the 8 30 news with Chris Ashmore so from myself Jeremy Daherty thanks for your company good evening sport on Highland is brought to you by Michael Murphy sports and leisure you'll find everything you need to stay