McGinley so ‘proud’ of his Errigal players after Crokes cracker

A BRILLIANT dual performance from the Canavan brothers combined with some very notable cameos earned Errigal Ciaran the honour of being the first team from Tyrone to reach the All-Ireland Senior club final courtesy of their magnificent extra-time victory over Dr Crokes on Saturday.

Darragh and Ruairi Canavan excelled in the club’s history-making success. Peter Og McCartan’s vital equalising point, the Joe Oguz goal and some excellent defending right at the end also proved crucial in their 2-18 to 1-18 win.

But now the focus has switched immediately to the All-Ireland Final next weekend in Croke Park. That game will be against the Dublin and Leinster champions, Cuala, who defeated the Sligo champions in their semi-final on Saturday night.

It promises to be an exciting week for the parish of Errigal Ciaran. They will carry the hopes and ambitions of all in the Red Hand county as the countdown begins to an unrivalled occasion.

Team manager, Enda McGinley believes that the side is capable of adding the Andy Merrigan Cup to their trophy cabinet to crown what has already been the most memorable of seasons.

“I’m so proud of the players and the way that they played for the club here and to raise us that bit further up. We didn’t want to be the team that had lost three All-Ireland semi-finals. But my gosh they put in a performance and effort to be proud of,” he said.

“Peter Og McCartan is making a good habit of scoring important points. But you’d trust those players with your life. Years when they were coming up short in the Tyrone championship they were putting in the same effort because that’s the nature of the O’Neill Cup race.

“The fact that they’ve got a bit of momentum certainly helps. Dr Crokes are an amazing side. These games are always going to come down to the wire and you just hope that you’ve got enough to get a few scores on the board and the boys finished really strongly in the end.

“We are pressure tested from the Tyrone championship. If anything, we’re going to be practiced. There was always the potential to concede a goal and you can’t panic about that but just crack on.”

In what was the first game this season to have gone to extra-time, Errigal excelled and the goal from Joe Oguz gave them a perfect platform to press ahead to victory. It means an exodus of fans not only from the club but throughout the county will travel to Croke Park next Sunday in hope and expectation.

Tyrone teams have won All-Ireland Intermediate and Junior titles in the past, but this is the first time that they’re in the showdown for All-Ireland honours at senior level. Errigal Ciaran have proven their worth throughout this knock-out season and are that one step away from the ultimate success.

This week will be one where quiet preparation takes precedence, amidst the quest to recover from the exertions which mark this clash at Newbridge.

“ We’ve a really good team and it was the team that got us through. We’ll enjoy the celebrations and then get ready for Croker next week,” added Enda McGinley.

“ These are specially-talented players and they want to work hard for the team. We’ll face a different challenge the next day (against Cuala).

“ Peter Og McCartan got a famous point at the end of the Ulster Final and I was glad that he took on the chance at the end of normal time which put us into extra time. We’re going to make mistakes and it’s all about the next ball and keeping faith in yourself.

“ The time between now and the final is not ideal, but we’ll try and get extra recovery in the legs and be ready fo Croke Park. The large pitch obviously takes it out of the legs and our boys have obviously never played there before.
“As a team we’ve never played there before. So, it’s about getting the heads right for that and that’s where my focus will be this week.”

Destiny, then, awaits an Errigal Ciaran team confident in its ability to take that final glorious step to the Hogan Stand podium and the Andy Merrigan Cup.