Football

Logan hoping Stewartstown can emulate class of 2004 and return to All-Ireland final

Stewartstown won their first Ulster junior club title since 2004 when they defeated Drumlane of Cavan in last month's final in Clones Picture: Adrian Donohoe
Stewartstown won their first Ulster junior club title since 2004 when they defeated Drumlane of Cavan in last month's final in Clones Picture: Adrian Donohoe Stewartstown won their first Ulster junior club title since 2004 when they defeated Drumlane of Cavan in last month's final in Clones Picture: Adrian Donohoe

FEARGAL Logan has his heart set on a return to Croke Park in 2023 with Tyrone, but first he’s hoping his club can take him on an early trip to GAA Headquarters.

Logan was player-manager when Stewartstown reached the All-Ireland Club JFC final in 2004, but with Croker unavailable, the decider was played at Portlaoise.

The Harps are once again Ulster champions, with a dream to go a step further than they did 18 years ago, when they lost the final to a star-studded Finuge side from Kerry.

“We were unlucky the last time in the sense that it was the first year of the junior and intermediate All-Ireland competitions, and Croke Park was unavailable,” said Tyrone joint manager Logan.

“We played the final at Portlaoise against a Finuge team that had Paul Galvin, Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Eamonn Breen, three Allstars, although I think Breen was suspended.

“It was great that junior and intermediate were able to get that opportunity to follow on what senior clubs were doing and to get to All-Ireland club finals.

“It’s part of the beauty of the Association that every player, whether they are junior footballers or hurlers, can finish up at Croke Park, and that for me is something that should be cherished.”

Stewartstown have a quarter-final to negotiate this weekend when they cross the Irish Sea to take on British champions Glasgow Gaels.

They will be looking to draw on the courage that saw them come from behind with 14 men to defeat Drumlane of Cavan in a penalty shoot-out to win the Ulster final.

“There’s great spirit and great belief in the team, and no lack of talent either, and that has stood to them thus far in the journey, and let’s hope that they can keep going.

“I know from my own experience from 18 years ago, when we won an Ulster Junior title, it was one of the happiest football memories that I have, the day we won that Ulster title in Casement Park in 2004.”

The Tyrone champions will be without ace attacker Gareth Devlin, who suffered a hamstring injury early in the second half of the provincial decider at Clones.

Devlin is one of a handful of survivors from the 2004 Ulster title winning team.

“Everyone knows Gareth Devlin’s abilities over the years, he has been an outstanding footballer. He was 15 or 16 years of age on our last run that took us all the way to the All-Ireland final,” said Logan.

“He was a prodigious youth, and he has been an outstanding footballer.

“Anton Coyle was outstanding when he came on on Sunday, and has been a great footballer over all those years, and Greg Kelly has been a great servant as well.”

Current managers Blake Smyth and Peter Armour played alongside Logan in the ’04 team, which also had to negotiate an All-Ireland quarter-final, played in London.

“Peter Armour and Blake Smyth and Paul Dillon, all part of the set-up now, they were integral to it.

“We had the time of our lives, and I remember saying to the lads, these are the best days or your lives.

“And a lot of that group are still involved, some of them still playing, and having the best days of their lives again.”