McEniff takes Donegal manager’s job for sixth time

BRIAN McENIFF accepted the invitation to become Donegal manager for the sixth time, reluctantly, after the county board suffered eight rejections.

McEniff, the man who led Donegal to its only All-Ireland a decade ago, became county chairman at last month’s convention, and made no secret that Martin McHugh, his on-field lieutenant during Donegal’s glory years, was his preferred choice for the job. “I made several approaches to Martin, but it just wasn’t to be,” McEniff said yesterday. The Bundoran man only agreed to become manager after a lengthy team meeting last weekend. “I explained the situation to them fully and I wasn’t going to impose myself on them at that meeting. They then approached me to take on the job and I have accepted.

“I had been asked to take over by county secretary Noreen Doherty and treasurer Charlie O’Donnell before Christmas. But, before that, we had approached a number of individuals from both inside and outside the county.” For most of the autumn, replacing Mickey Moran and John Morrison looked like the job nobody wanted. Micheal Oliver McIntyre, a valued member of Moran’s back-room staff, emerged as favourite towards the end of November, but then withdrew his nomination.