PLAYING in your first Ulster final can be nerve-racking enough, but handling the extra responsibility of playing in goal takes a special sort of person.
Twenty-four-year-old Derry goalkeeper Eoin McCloskey seems just that.
For a start, away from recently returning to the books to study Civil Engineering in Derry, McCloskey’s ‘part-time’ job is to be on 24-hour call as a firefighter in Dungiven.
Though it is something he laughs off as requiring merely “big lungs and not too many brains”, for the last four years McCloskey has regularly been called out to face fires and car accidents, something he admits has taken a while to get used to.
But it was not until his twenties, not long after first learning to save lives, that he first learned to save footballs for his beloved club Dungiven.
“We do have a sort of tradition in the house to try to uphold,’’ he said.
“Since I can remember I’ve been kicking around, playing cousins and that, but until about two or three years ago I never was really a goalkeeper. I used to play outfield all my life until I broke these wrists, that fateful day.”
McCloskey holds out his wrists and quickly tells the story of how he went up one day to catch a ball in the middle of the field, landed awkwardly on his wrists, and consequently spent eight months out of football.
“When I came back to the football at the club our usual goalkeeper went away to America on his holidays,” he continued.
“We had a Championship match against Lavey, and I was thrown in at the deep end, and actually on that same day I saved a penalty from Johnny McGurk.
“So after that I’ve been sort of lumbered with it. To be brutally honest with you I didn’t really like the position.”
IF Donegal are to win tomorrow, they will have to do it without someone who should be more than just an interested spectator in the crowd.
Donegal have won five Ulster titles, but never without Brian McEniff.
It is a record he is keen to see broken.
“It’s about time Donegal won another Ulster title,” he says, “no-one will be happier than me to see that record go on Sunday.”
Having enjoyed reasonable success in the past few decades, it is incredible to think that in 1971, Donegal football was in the doldrums, ranked 31 out of 32 counties in Ireland.
Only Kilkenny was considered to have worse footballers than Donegal. It was under those unlikely circumstances that McEniff took his first foray into management at the age of 27.
“We couldn’t get a manager, they tried to get an outside man but no-one wanted to know us, so I took on the job as player-manager.”
His first step was to appoint his great friend Padraig McShea as captain and together they captured the county’s first Ulster title in 1972 with a win over Tyrone.
SUPERSAVER...Eoin McCloskey, seen here in action against Armagh, has been crucial to Derry’s run to the Ulster final including two memorable
saves in the semi-final win over the Orchard county
**SEE www.irishnews.com/sport for full team lineouts and form
DERRY
Eoin McCloskey
Club: Dungiven
Age: 24
Occupation: Student
Form: Joined panel at start of season after impressing for Dungiven. Kicking and keeping solid so far, and made two crucial saves early on in semi-final.
Kieran McKeever
Club: Dungiven
Age: 30
Occupation: Contractor
Form: Team captain and probably best cornerback in the country over the last five years.
Sean Martin Lockhart
Club: Banagher
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Form: Dual player has impressed in what was thought to be Derry’s troublesome full-back spot since retirement of Scullion.
Gary Coleman
Club: Magherafelt
Age: 26
Occupation: Postman
Form: Returns to team after hamstring ruled him out against Monaghan, and insufficient match practice prior to Armagh. Pacey player who will probably mark Brendan Devenney.
David O’Neill
Club: Bellaghy
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Form: Made superb return against Armagh after being out of football all year. Talented footballer and much happier at wing-back than full-back where he was deployed last season.
Henry Downey
Club: Lavey
Age: 31
Occupation: Teacher
Form: A tad abrasive in this year’s opener against Monaghan, Downey was back to his assured best against Armagh. Should be too strong for Sweeney.
Paul McFlynn
Club: Loup Age: 20 Occupation: Student
Form: Has looked an assured operator in his first year of championship football. Solid in defence and capable of linking up with his attack.
Anthony Tohill
Club: Swatragh
Age: 26
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Form: Slight injury affected semi-final performance, but otherwise back to near his best form after indifferent couple of years. If he dominates midfield, Derry will win comfortably.
Enda Muldoon
Club: Ballinderry
Age: 20
Occupation: Upholsterer
Form: Muldoon earned his first Ulster Championship start against Armagh and his performance made his an automatic choice.
Gary McGill
Club: Glen
Age: 29
Occupation: Plumbing Contractor
Form: Been on the fringes of the Derry panel for some time before nailing down a first team place last year. Prodigious workrate.
Dermot Dougan
Club: Newbridge
Age: 26
Occupation: Site Foreman
Form: Derry’s most improved player this year. Has gained in confidence and has begun to play a similar role to that which clubmate Damian Barton used to play.
Eamonn Burns
Club: Ballinascreen
Age: 26
Occupation: Teacher
Form: Brilliant first half against Monaghan and has helped take the pressure off Joe Brolly. Been around for a few years, but only this year has firmly established himself as a first teamer.
Joe Brolly
Club: Dungiven
Age: 28
Occupation: Barrister
Form: Made the pass for Dermot Dougan’s opening goal against Armagh but Brolly has not been at his brilliant best this season. Suspicion that may be suffering from wear and tear.
Seamus Downey
Club: Lavey
Age: 30
Occupation: Teacher Form: Man of the match against Armagh, Downey’s presence is vital to this Derry team. One of the best readers of the game in the business.
Joe Cassidy
Club: Bellaghy
Age: 21
Occupation: Student Form: Poor in League final but seemed to regain his poise against Monaghan. Suspended for Ulster semi-final, should be highly-motivated.
DONEGAL
Tony Blake
Club: St Eunans
Age: 26
Occupation: Draftsman technician
Form: Came in for Cavan game and has been retained at expense of a bitterly disappointed Paul Callaghan. Inexperience led to him conceding a free in the semi-final due to time-wasting. Such errors will prove costly tomorrow.
Barry McGowan
Club: Killybegs
Age: 29
Occupation: EBS linesman
Form: Has as ever been a rock in the Donegal defence. Should have good contest with Brolly.
John Joe Doherty
Club: Naomh Columba
Age: 30
Occupation: Sales rep Form: The Donegal captain missed unconvincing win over Antrim but returned to have a steady game against Cavan in the semi-final.
Mark Crossan
Club: St Eunans
Age: 27
Occupation: Development officer
Form: A memorable goal line clearance against Cavan ensured Donegal’s path to the final. Struggling slightly with injury during the final build-up.
Damien Diver
Club: Ardara
Age: 23
Occupation: Quantity surveyor
Form: Had game of his life against Cavan. Has to halt the free-flowing Derry half-forward line with a few spurts of his own.
Noel Hegarty
Club: Naomh Columba
Age: 28
Occupation: Sales rep
Form: Has flitted between midfield and centre-half-back. Should bring a much needed physical presence to centrefield where expected to challenge Tohill.
Noel McGinley
Club: Naomh Columba
Age: 21
Occupation: Factory worker
Form: Has had a quiet first championship season. Likely to find Derry half-forwards of a higher quality than any he’s faced so far.
Jim McGuinness
Club: Naomh Conaill
Age: 25
Occupation: Student
Form: Is an important player to Donegal but was lucky to stay on the pitch after a few hairy moments in the semifinal. Needs to keep his cool against what looks a potent midfield.
Martin Coll
Club: Gweedore Age: 24 Occupation: Factory storeman
Form: Sent off in the opening 10 minutes against Cavan and has a lot to prove. Likely to drift into centre-half-back position.
John Duffy
Club: Aodh Ruadh
Age: 26
Occupation: Quantity Surveyor
Form: Like Doherty, missed Antrim game with injury and did enough against Cavan to retain his place. A gifted player who hasn’t fulfilled potential because of injury.
Adrian Sweeney
Club: Dungloe
Age: 22
Occupation: Plumber
Form: Man of the match against Antrim but largely ineffective in semi. Highly rated within Donegal but yet to do it at inter-county level.
John Gildea
Club: Naomh Conaill
Age: 27
Occupation: service engineer
Form: has been a revelation this year. Many people’s man of the match against Cavan and could well have a big say on the outcome.
Manus Boyle
Club: Killybegs
Age: 31
Occupation: netmaker
Form: Written off so many times in Donegal yet he’s back in another Ulster final. Tends to be either brilliant or mediocre.
Tony Boyle
Club: Dungloe
Age: 28
Occupation: Sales rep
Form: As ever the key to Donegal’s scoring power. All Donegal have to do is give him a decent supply of ball and he’ll do the rest.
Brendan Devenney
Club: St Eunans
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Form: Is finding it harder to put his mark on the championship after an impressive League campaign. Has plenty of ability and pace, which Donegal need to utilise tomorrow.