Douglas U21 manager hails character of county-winning side

Douglas manager Conor Buckley praised the battling qualities of his side in having to grind out victory against Ibane Gaels in the McCarthy Insurance Group U21AFC final.

While a four-point winning margin probably does the losers a slight disservice, it demonstrates how Douglas improved as the second half went on, soaking up late pressure before striking on the break to make sure of the win. Seán Coakley finished with 1-6 while Jack Cunningham had 0-5 to his name but it was a real group effort, with the players coming on in the second half complementing the efforts of those who started.

For Buckley, the manner of the win showed the steel that the panel possess.

“It was a battle to the very end,” he said.

“We conceded two goals in the first half, which were the first two goals they conceded all year, but it was good how they reacted. They came back and they fought back.

“I think they were disappointed with the half-time [score, trailing by a point]. The second half, we did have a lot of energy and we had a lot of good play. We did a lot of good defending.

“Look, there's a lot of grit in that bunch, there's an awful lot of grit in that bunch. I think it showed today when it mattered, especially coming into the last ten minutes.

“The subs made a big impact also. The first guys were really out on their feet there at times, but you couldn't fault anyone.

“Everyone had their shoulders to the wheel for the full hour.”

This victory follows the Premier 1 minor title of 2022, when a hurling and football double was achieved. Even with such success, there can be a fall-off between that age and stepping up to U21 but Douglas bucked that trend, with 13 of the same starting lineup still involved.

Now, the hope is that they can continue on their trajectory and play their part for Douglas at senior level.

“They're a very united bunch, they're a very gritty bunch,” Buckley said.

“Nobody knows what's going to happen in the future, but there is a nucleus of a senior team there for the future, as was the nucleus of the team the last number of years, from the 2017 winning team.

“Please God that this crowd will drive on and do the same. Because they're very, very dedicated - they're very, very good players and they want to win, which is very, very important.

“This bunch of lads don't need motivation. They come to training with motivation.

“It’ll be nice to watch the game back and see where the improvements were, because when you're on the line there, you're going 90, you don't see everything that happens all the time.

“But this bunch really, they have the grit and determination and they want to win.”