Ulster Senior Club Football Championship quarter-final: Gowna (Cavan) v Naomh Conaill (Donegal) (Sunday, Kingspan Breffni, 4.30pm)
CAVAN champions Gowna are a team that seems to learn from their setbacks. Beaten in the 2021 county final, they regrouped and had another go and they got over the line last year. That win booked them their first game in Ulster for 20 years but after giving up leads in injury-time and extra-time they lost out to Enniskillen Gaels on penalties.
Losing like that really stung so you suspect there will be better to come from the Breffni county top boys against Donegal’s Naomh Conaill on Sunday.
You could look at Gowna’s landslide win in the Cavan final and label them the ‘in-form’ team in the Ulster championship. Kingscourt actually led by four points midway through the first half but once Fintan Reilly’s men got going they were unstoppable and they racked up 5-15, with Tiarnan Madden contributing 2-4, and cruised to the title with 17 points to spare.
Yes, they’re going well but, then again, all the teams in Ulster are going well, argues Gowna skipper Ryan McGahern.
“Sure they wouldn’t be in it unless they were in form,” he says.
“We played well in the last couple of games and we peaked near the end and that’s when you want to be peaking. We had been missing a good few fellas – lads with injuries and one thing or another – and they only started to come back near the end.
“We struggled against Killygarry in the quarter-final (it went to a replay) but then we peaked against Crosserlough and then Kingscourt in the final. It’s going well in the minute but sure you don’t know, we’ll see how this next game goes.”
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Naomh Conaill also completed back-to-back wins in Donegal in impressive style. With Ethan O’Donnell outstanding, Martin Regan’s men saw off Gweedore by eight points to record their fifth county title since 2015.
“There’ll be nothing simple there,” predicted McGahern.
“I don’t know a lot about Naomh Conaill to be honest but I’m sure we’ll get to know them! If we worry about ourselves and focus on our own game we’d be confident going out against anybody. Last year none of the lads said they were nervous going into the game against Enniskillen Gaels but they could have been nervous because it was something we’d never done before.
“I suppose it was a bonus to get into Ulster but at the same time we were going for a win, we weren’t just going to show up and take part and we were hurt after that game, especially the way it ended.
“We were beaten on penalties and one or two of the lads were blaming themselves (for the defeat) but it wasn’t a case of that.”
Gowna led by a point in injury-time but were dragged into extra-time last year and then into a penalty shootout in which Enniskillen’s takers found the net and their goalkeeper made two fine saves.
Did McGavern take a penalty?
“No I did not,” replies the corner-back with a chuckle.
“I couldn’t take one and I couldn’t stop one either. I never agreed with penalties before that game and I don’t agree with them now. I think it’s a cruel way to decide a game because, as I say, you had one or two fellas blaming themselves and that’s not the case.
“Ah you can’t say too much to them after it, all you can do is try and put an arm round the shoulder and tell them to forget about it.”
After that disappointment, Gowna regrouped and bounced back to retain their county title this year with their impressive finish to the campaign. You can sense a determination about them as they prepare for another crack on the provincial stage.
“We bounced back and we won it again which shows a lot of character,” says McGahern.
“We’ll see how it goes in Ulster but we’ll definitely be taking it seriously and giving it a rattle anyway.
“You’re going in to win all the time but we’ll take it step by step. It was the same in the Cavan championship – we never looked any further than the next game.
“People might say: ‘You were the champions, you must have been thinking about the final and winning it again’ but there was never any talk like that. It was always about the next game and about ourselves and we’ll treat this the same.”
This is a tough one to call. Gowna will have learned a lot from last year but they're up against a seasoned outfit in Naomh Conaill. The Donegal men get the nod to get over the line but you wouldn't rule out extra-time here, or even penalties again.
