By 
IT was warm on the morning of County Final Day in 1975 when John McDaid drove to St Enda’s Park in Omagh with his family for a clash that would see his Owen Roes team bid to make history by defeating Trillick in the showpiece decider.
The McDaid family, including John’s wife and seven children, made the trip to the ground, where the Owen Roes goalkeeper promptly made his way to the dressing-rooms. Thousands of fans were already thronging the new venue for what promised to be a very special occasion.
On a specially-erected gantry, preparations were being made to video the match for the first time, with commentary from Frank Rodgers. On the field, the dust was flying in the two goalmouths as the reigning champions from the St Macartan’s and their surprise North Tyrone opponents made their final preparations.
“That year gave everyone around here a big lift, even though we got beaten. I had a young family at the time and the whole lot of us got into my estate car and drove to the match together. I remember going into the dressing-room then, there were boys chatting, some others were very quiet and then Hugh Kelly our manager was motivating us,” John remembers.
“Maybe there was a bigger build-up to the semi-final when we beat Ardboe. They were a great team at that time with Frank McGuigan, the Forbes brothers, Seamus Coyle and so on. There was great excitement when we beat them because nobody had expected us to win.
“Trillick were probably a more workmanlike team. Nobody expected us to be in the final. Our target that year was probably to stay in senior football. We beat Urney in the first round, and then things started to get serious ahead of the semi-final.”
County Final Day then, as now, was a big occasion. A man of the match awarded was presented in 1975 as well for the first time. In the first half, Owen Roes looked like continuing their great run until an unfortunate collision robbed them of Patsy Kerlin and Frank Kelly, who had been starring at midfield.
“That was a big blow, but we had also suffered from the loss of Brian Ward,” added John McDaid. “He had been a star in the semi-final at midfield, marked Frank McGuigan and kept them under control. He then got a professional soccer contract with Aberdeen between the semi-final and the final.
“A good few people from around here phoned Ally McCloud who was the Aberdeen manager asking him to let Brian play in the County Final. But it didn’t work out.
“Then, in the final Patsy Kerlin and Frank Kelly collided and from then on we were on the back foot.”
John was in goals that day and recalls the decisive score of the game being toe-poked passed him, and the disappointment that followed. Owen Roes lost by 1-11 to 2-3, as Vincent Keenan’s goal proved crucial.
‘Duck’ or Donal McKay played at corner forward on that day 50 years ago. His scores had been vital in their run to a first ever final, and he feels that the Owen Roes team which lined out that day never reached its undoubted potential.
“I could always score goals, but unfortunately didn’t manage to get one against Trillick that day.Patsy Kerlin was our main player, but I suppose things weren’t taken too seriously. The team trained at Donemana and a few of the players always enjoyed a drink or two after our training sessions,” he recalled.
“Frank Kelly and Patsy Kerlin collided and our challenge faltered after that. Both of them got goals on the first half and we led by 2-2 to 0-6 at half-time. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to sustain that challenge in the second half after they collided.
“The team spilt up after that. Aughabrack formed their own team a couple of years later, we lost to Augher in 1976 and Kildress surprised us in 1977. Most of the starting team in 1975 were in their late teens or early 20s. There was a lot of youth and we could and probably should have done better. Paddy Ball was in the subs and was just 16 at the time.”
Time passes and on Saturday night, the team will get together again to reflect on their day in the sun. Memories will be recalled and, while the disappointment of losing will still be a regret, their appearance in that 1975 County Final has left a lasting legacy.
Oh, and one more thing. The players on both teams that day would love to see a re-run of the video made for that 1975 County Final!
