It’s a lovely April evening in Strabane and big Mattie McGleenan, with the craggy looks of a 40’s movie star is just after arriving for the launch of the Ulster Championship.
The dark hair is streaked with silver but he is still Big Mattie the man who always has the ghost of a smile from two blue eyes of summer.
He has been working his magic on Cavan as they prepare to take on Donegal next weekend in Ballybofey.
McGleenan leads newly-promoted Cavan into the “cauldron” against Declan Bonner’s boys.
When it is suggested that this could be a “banana skin” for Donegal he quickly bats that thought away.
“Donegal have been unbeaten there for almost 20 years,'' he stresses.
“I am under no illusions about the challenge we have as a football team.
“Donegal has serious Championship pedigree but it is a great game for us, because mentally there is no room for complacency, there is no room for slippage.
“Cavan has to go and realistically have the performance of the year.
“We have had great performances in the NFL but they will count for nothing in the Championship.”
So how will their recent promotion to Division One affect Cavan’s ambitions?
“We are over the moon about getting that promotion, at the start people were saying we would be relegated,'' said McGleenan.
“Cavan has not done anything in the line of winning cups but the one thing I have seen is a great group of lads with a great attitude who want to learn and who want to play.
“And that is what we have been doing and I think we are heading in the right direction with that idea.''
But the fact that many of this squad has already won four Ulster Under 21 titles on the trot does not matter a jot to McGleenan as he candidly explains: “That is the past and that has no bearing on me at all.
“All I am concerned about is what is happening right now with this squad of players.
“Who has won Ulster Championship medals has no bearing on me, I am totally looking at what I see at training and from what I have seen at club football.
“And I am trying to get the type of players that suit the type of football that I want to play.
“It is those who really want to play and to give their best for Cavan and that is what I am looking for.”
And one of the positive attributes is that McGleenan has made Cavan play a more positive attacking game than previously.
“I don’t know about the past because I was too busy following Tyrone and Mickey (Harte).'' he added.
“I want to play attacking football but I also need to be aware of what happened us in the NFL final against Roscommon when we gave away a few bad goals.''
