Naomh Columba manager Brendan Doherty looking at big picture

In the aftermath of a heavy defeat to Carrickmacross in the quarter-final of the Ulster Intermediate Club in Inniskeen on Saturday, Naomh Columba manager wasn't looking for scapegoats, but rather reflecting on the journey the team had taken this year.

The south-west side had finally got over the line in Donegal to win an Intermediate title and got the club back into senior football and that is what he talked to his side about in the dressing room after the game.

"I thanked them for their efforts all year long. I didn't really focus on today's game. Obviously the better team won.

"I think we were more in appreciation of what we had done all year long and we just reflected on that. What more can you say," said Doherty.

There were little things that Doherty was not happy with including the five week break from the Donegal final.

"I've said it in the week running into the game, the five week break that we had certainly disturbed our momentum that we had. The delay was far too long from our county final until today.

"I'm not using that as an excuse because Carrickmacross were by far the better team today. But look, we had no game time; we were training but a lot of our lads are in Dublin. To keep collective training going was so, so hard. So that was the biggest challenge that we had.

"We fell really, really short today, but that didn't have any effect on today's result. But it's disappointing all the same."

It was a day that very little went in favour of the Glen men with Carrickmacross hitting a goal and a point inside a minute and they were 1-3 to the good before Naomh Columba got the first of their only two first half scores.

Doherty admitted that it was a tough baptism. "We are in new ground here completely. Even the way they ref the games here is completely different to at home. The referee doesn't seem to blow the whistle too much. You could pick out four or five different instances in the first half which would have been a free back at home.

"But you have to get on with it. We knew that coming up here. It was a level up. It's unfortunate the way it turned out in the end. We had put all our eggs in the intermediate championship and thankfully we got that."

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Looking back on the 2025 season the Naomh Columba manager agreed that the pros outweighed the cons. 

"We spoke about that in the dressing room. They are all young lads and I can actually identify two or three more who will come into that squad next year, whoever is going to be there. They have to push on now.

"For years, since 2008, that's the last time we played in a senior championship. They are a senior team now and they will be playing in Division Two so that's the carrot in front of them now. Who knows, they might get a good draw in the championship and nobody knows what will happen," said Doherty.