By Gerry McLaughlin
It is doubtful if Matthew Crossan will score a better goal in his long and varied career.
The talented 31-year-old has played soccer with Finn Harps and Derry City and he showed all his predatory instincts when smashing home the killer goal for Naomh Colmcille.
It was quite a job to prise him away from the admiring clutches of his many fans as Naomh Colmcille fans invaded a chilly Celtic Park to surround their local heroes after Saturday’s Ulster Club Junior Football Championship final win over Fermanagh’s Belnaleck.
There comes a time in a match when you know that something special was about to happen.
And the 45th minute really delivered, as Crossan (right) took delivery of a fine pass from substitute Con Hegarty.
Time seemed to stand still as he deliberately took aim at an angle.
And then the whole place erupted in salute at a truly wonderful finish that will long be remembered in that soccer stronghold that is the club catchment area of Naomh Colmcille.
But Crossan was very keen to salute his team-mates in his greatest hour of triumph.
“You can see it there it is just unbelievable, the work we had put in there since the start of the year we knew that on our day, nobody could beat us,” he said.
“The drive and determination from the players, the backroom staff and everybody else was just incredible.”
And Crossan or his comrades were not disturbed in the slightest at a 23-minute scoring famine in the first half when Belnaleck reeled off four points on the trot.
“Even when we go down by a point or two, we still have enough in our locker to drive us on and that has happened in a few of the earlier games as well,” said the ex-Finn Harps man.
“We had a bit of luck in our own county and that is something you need but we have really stood up to be counted in Ulster and are now Ulster champions and it is just such a great feeling.”
So how did the goal come about?
“When Don Hegarty hit that ball in I knew that I just had to hit it and thankfully it hit the back of the net.”
Work commitments cut short his career with the famous Ballybofey club, but last Saturday was his greatest sporting moment.
“It does not get any better than this,” said Crossan.
“This is what you have trained for with boys you grew up with together, with boys you have trained with together, with boys you go out with together it is all about the parish.
“Nobody gave us a chance in the junior championship in Donegal and that is what has spurred us on.
“But deep down we know that when we are on our game, nobody will beat us.”
And Naomh Colmcille certainly looked pretty invincible in that pulsating period from the 38th minute to the 45th minute of the second half when they hit shell-shocked Belnaleck for a pulverising 1-4 and there was no way back for the Fermanagh champions.
“We were very fit and that drove us on, they had a good patch in the first half and then we had ours in the second half and made it count.”
And he saluted his captain Willie Gillespie.
“Willie got us those vital scores when we really needed them and that is why he is our captain.”
