Family and club loyalties to be put to one side

It’s probably fair to say that it has been a strange week in the Donnelly household.

On Sunday at midday in Manguard Park, not only does Milltown manager Johnny Donnelly have to take on his own club Ellistown in the final round of Group A of the National Electrical Wholesalers Intermediate Championship – but it’s an Ellistown team containing his son Evan and his three nephews - Oran, Callum and Harry.

Once both Milltown and Ellistown won their preliminary round games and were set for the winners groups, Donnelly said he didn’t even need to see the draw, he knew what was coming next.

“It was inevitable really,” he laughed.

“I’m obviously an Ellistown man and all that was missing in the draw was for Round Towers to be in there instead of Straffan and you’d have four real local clubs together,” he said.

Remarkably, this is the second year in a row that Donnelly will have to try get one over his club and the younger brigade of his family. Last year when managing Robertstown in the Junior Championship, Donnelly’s team were beaten by Ellistown as Evan scored two points and Callum scored a late clinching goal in a 1-18 to 2-11 win.

For Donnelly, putting family and club loyalties to one side and trying to beat the ones you love is part of the job.

“In reality, you have a job to do with that club. You’re part of that club for the year, or couple of years, that you are in with them. If you are going to go down the road of coaching or managing then you’re probably going to come against your own club at some stage or, as in my case, your own family,” he said.

Evan still lives at home after completing his Leaving Cert this year and Donnelly said that football, usually such a hot topic in the house, has been off the menu this week.

“We’re probably trying to avoid each other, definitely not much football being discussed. In fairness to him, he focussing on his game and I’m focussing on ours. It’s just one of those things you have to get on with,” laughed Donnelly.

On one hand, Sunday’s game is a huge game for both teams with the winner assured of a quarter-final spot but there is the safety net of Straffan already being knocked out before the last round of games so the loser will at least progress to a preliminary quarter-final.

“In one sense it’s great that it’s not a knockout game, it’s really to determine who has a week off. I thought from the beginning that it would be a tight group and it’s really proving to be that,” said Donnelly.

In many ways, Milltown and Ellistown are on similar paths, albeit Milltown a year further down the road.

Milltown won the Junior Championship in 2023 and went on to reach the Intermediate semi-finals the following year. Under Donnelly this season, they have already secured promotion to Division 1 for the first time in the club’s history and they will be looking to at least match last year’s run to the last four.

Ellistown are back in the Intermediate grade after spending a year at Junior level following relegation in 2023 but there is a real sense that they bouncing back strongly after some years in the doldrums.

“I managed Ellistown for four years, from 2019 to 2022,” said Donnelly.

“We were probably at the bottom end of Intermediate but there’s a new bunch of young lads coming through there now and adding to the older experience lads that are still there like Mac (Former Kildare star Andrew McLoughlin, who still a driving force on the team even now at the age of 42). They are making big strides, no different to Milltown who are a young team which a nice blend of experience through it,” he added.

Milltown were involved in a fantastic game last time out when they cemented their status as Championship contenders with a thrilling draw against title rivals Rathangan but Donnelly said that they have to keep working hard.

“You have to keep doing that. There’s no point being involved in a great game if you lose it, I know we snatched a draw at the end of that one... but I think the game at the weekend will be a cracker as well,” said Donnelly.

Whatever happens on Sunday, come the final whistle there will be hugs and the Donnelly household will return to normality - but for that hour when the ball is thrown in and there are precious Championship points on offer there will be no holding back, family or no family.

Johnny Donnelly, wouldn’t have it any other way.