IT’S worth those hard yards in pouring rain, the missed nights out and the morning pain when your dream finally comes true, said Clann Eireann veteran Ryan Henderson after his club ended a 58-year famine last Sunday by winning the Armagh senior championship.
Henderson had spent 19 seasons battling away for his club before he landed the prize he’d been chasing in the 20th. A forward/striker for the bulk of his career with Armagh and Linfield he played the sweeper role in Tommy Coleman’s side and stroked over a vital point in the second half and then won the kick-out that led to the goal which swung a thrilling final against Crossmaglen Clann Eireann’s way.
“I would say to any club that is on the cusp of doing something: ‘Start in January and do whatever needs to be done’ because these are the best days of your life,” he said.
“It’s worth all the hard work, all the sacrifices, all the missed nights out, the weddings and all that to experience this with people that you grew up with and have been about for all of your life.
“If just unbelievable, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Henderson seemed the happiest man in the Athletic Grounds after Clann Eireann had beaten Ballymacnab to reach the club’s first final since 1968. His joy was unconfined last Sunday after the Lurgan side (who had already accounted for holders Maghery) beat Crossmaglen by two points to win it.
“It has been hard at times over the years,” he admitted.
“Coming here for semi-finals or quarter-finals and thinking you’re in with a shot and then getting beat by 15 points… You ask yourself: ‘What’s it all about?’
“Then the love for the club kicks in, people will tell you that. It’s what you know, it’s what you’ve been doing since you were six or seven and you get back at it and see what happens and you’ve seen what it means to our club.
“I really think that the club needed this. We were having all this underage success but it’s imperative that you add the senior title to it – so people can see it. That’s why Cross have been so successful for all these years because it brings all the people out – the young people come out, it’s a family day and that’s what we want to create.”
Given his experience and class, he’s obviously a leader in a team which contains quality individuals, among them Conor Turbitt, Conor McConville, Barry McCambridge, Tiernan Kelly and skipper Shea Heffron.
“They’re serious footballers,” said Henderson.
“I see a lot of myself in them, the way I was. Not everybody was like me when I was around 20 – they might have been going out drinking, I was down in the field with a ball. I was out training and these boys are the same.
“They just live for it and it’s all they think about from they get up in the morning until the last thing at night: ‘How can I get better?’
“If you have that sort of mentality this (a senior title) is what happens, this is the result of it.”
There was emotion at the final whistle on Sunday and players and supporters were still on the pitch at the Athletic Grounds long, long after the final whistle had been blown. Henderson admitted that he had been emotional before the game began.
“Even driving here before the match I was crying in the car because you’re representing your club on county final day,” he said.
“The whole day, even walking behind the band and seeing the flags, the whole thing… The hairs stand up on the back of your neck. The final whistle was crazy.
“The last time was 58 years ago. None of us have experienced this before, none of have been through it. Before the final everybody wants to be involved, everybody wants to help and the players see that.
“You get messages from people wishing you well and they think they’re helping and they are. We were the calmest out of everybody – our training this week was the same as if we were playing a league match.
“We don’t get carried away, it’s just a really good bunch of honest players.”
