McEniff urges crackdown on Donegal indiscipline

DONEGAL’S 1992 All-Ireland winning manager Brian McEniff has called on the county board to act swiftly on indiscipline in club matches or risk players suffering more serious injuries than Leo McLoone’s broken eye socket.

The Bundoran man was reacting to county footballer McLoone’s injury sustained in an ugly fracas between his club Naomh Conaill and Glenswilly after Sunday’s championship match.

“For the third week out of four, I have to talk about unsavoury incidents of one kind or another,” wrote McEniff in his Donegal People’s Press column. “I feel it is time clubs take responsibility and do something about it and I include my own club Bundoran in that.

“I also think the time has come for the county executive to stand up and be counted on this and I would urge the executive to meet all 40 clubs as soon as possible on the matter.

“It cannot be allowed continue. It simply is not acceptable. I know winning is important but it is not everything and my big fear is that unless action is taken and quickly someone will receive a serious injury and it will be too late.

“Sport is important but remember everybody has to get up and go to work on Monday morning.”

Glenswilly chairman Shay Farrell said the club’s players could not be blamed for McLoone’s injury,

“As far as I could see, the players were walking off and were shaking hands and some of the players, I think, were actually in the dressing room.

“I definitely wouldn’t be pointing fingers at players because as far as I am concerned they conducted themselves very well on the pitch and I thought it was quite a good match.”

The matter is likely to be raised at tomorrow night’s county board meeting and was discussed by Glenswilly at their monthly gathering on Monday.

Meanwhile Derry boss John Brennan last night revealed defender Gerard O’Kane suffered a blood clot in his leg. The Derry captain is in training for Sunday week’s provincial showdown with Donegal after missing the Ulster semi-final win over Armagh.