Buncrana's Gary Duffy takes positives from 2024 season despite Malin defeat

Buncrana manager Gary Duffy was disappointed with Sunday’s one-point defeat to Inishowen rivals Malin in the IFC quarter-final but feels that his team can take a lot of positives from the overall 2024 season. 

Giving his reaction to Donegal Live after the game, the former Donegal U-20 manager insisted the team is in a good place going forward.  

Having won promotion from Division 2, and playing almost the entire season without county man Caolan McGonagle, Duffy believes the Buncrana side are in a healthy place despite their 0-11 to 0-10 point defeat at the weekend.  

“We were ahead going down the stretch but we could not hold on,” Duffy said regarding the ending to Sunday’s quarter-final clash.  

“We gave the ball away and we coughed up possession and when you give a ball away to a seasoned team like Malin you are going to be punished. It is knock-out football and there are no second chances.”  

Buncrana trailed by three points at half-time having played into a very strong wind in the first half but Duffy was happy in the position they were in and praised their workrate. 

“We were happy with where we were at during the half-time break,” he said. “We had worked very hard in the first half and we defended well, we got plenty of blocks in and turned over a good deal of the ball.  

“We got our noses in front early in the second half and we led for most of the half, but maybe we just didn’t have lady luck on our side. 

“We went two points up at one stage, but we did not push on and when you are playing a team like Malin, they are always going to come back at you.” 

While disappointed with the result, Duffy takes satisfaction knowing that he has a team very much in transition, pointing to the progress they’ve made this season and the number of players under the age of 21. 

“Malin are a more seasoned and experienced team, while we had eight U-21s,” he said  

“I know that’s no excuse but we are very much in transition and we've had a good few injuries, with seven of what would be recognised as our starting team out there missing today.”  

Buncrana lined out once again without injured county player McGonagle, promising young player Sean McLaughlin, while former county man Darach O’Connor was only used from the subs bench in the second half.  

McGonagle has been sidelined with an ankle injury since the Division 2 league final against Four Masters before the start of the championship and has been out of action since.  

While Sean McLaughlin is in rehab following a cruciate surgery, and Darach O’Connor has also missed most of the season through injury.  

“Caolan is a huge loss, as is Sean McLaughlin and Darach,” Duffy admitted. “We had four surgeries this year in the squad and that is not an excuse.  

“But we have a good minor team this year. We are a good young club and we are happy where we are.  

“We are in Division 1 next year and we are looking forward to that, and the young lads will have learned a lot and have gained great experience this year.”