GAA: EOIN BRADLEY stands on the edge of the field on a day when it all went right. Perhaps the only thing he would change is to have his brother Paddy out there with him. It does not take long before Bradley is asked about the effect that John Brennan has had on this team since taking over last autumn.
“John is just a different manager than anyone I have worked with anyhow. He is a kind of a father to the team and all the players seem to be enjoying it and everyone is getting on really well. He has a good track record and that helps. But I can’t put my finger on it. He brings something different and we came out to get to an Ulster final and, thank God, we made it after 12 years.
“This was my fifth or sixth semi -final and it is great to be there. I think we kicked a lot of wides in the second half and John will not be happy. John just told us it was just another game and to work hard and we knew we would go through a bad spell but we just kept on building. Joe (Diver) and Michael (Friel) put in a big shift at midfield and we worked hard. People said that because we were missing some players that this Derry team would founder but we have a good team spirit and we are working hard.”
There is a bit of mischief and humour about Brennan which is a welcome relief from the usual solemnity of championship Sundays. The Derry man blinked through his spectacles when asked how he saw Tyrone and Donegal, potential opponents for the Ulster final.
“Can’t see either of them from here,” he laughed. Brennan was pleased but, you felt, not entirely surprised with the way the game had panned out for his team. “The confidence is oozing at the moment because they went out and proved they are capable of playing. I have had questions all week. It’s like playing an old LP with a faulty needle,” he sighed.
“How many times have I said all week or prior to this: we had to raise our standards. Fermanagh unfortunately was not a great contest. Armagh had to sustain what they did against Down and today we raised our game and they couldn’t. And to summarise it, that is what happened. We raised our game. Maybe we are a lot better than Down. I think we are anyhow. I think we are as good as anyone. I am proud of the players. We got over the line and we are in an Ulster final and I hope to win something. What can I say? They were very good and I am proud of them.”
This was a tough medicine for Armagh. Outside the dressing room door, Steven McDonnell shook his head. The Killeavey man was sharp as ever here but he is not used to crashing out in Ulster semi-finals. “It is never easy getting beat in an Ulster championship match but to be beat by nine points can be hard. But we have strong players in the dressing room and we will bounce back. We will be disappointed for a day or two but we will be back.
“There is good football in Derry and they showed it today. It is a long time since Derry has been in an Ulster final and we knew they are talented footballers and some of the football that they played today was sublime. If you give them half a chance, they will take it.”
Paddy O’Rourke was clear-eyed and honest in his appraisal of the game. “When we scored the goal and got ourselves back into it, we expected to push on but it didn’t happen. We have to sit down now and find out why that didn’t happen. But I suppose the main reason we lost is that we lost a lot of individual battles across the field and when you do that, you normally lose the football match.”
And so it went.
