We'll be testing ourselves against the very best when we meet Watty Grahams

Ultan Doherty believes Naomh Conaill against Watty Grahams has the potential to be a defining moment for this Glenties team, and on a number of levels. 

Naomh Conaill needed a deserate and last ditch role of the dice last Sunday as they dramatically edged out Cavan champions Gowna thanks to Kevin McGettigan’s late three-pointer. The overriding sense after was one of relief. 

Still, Naomh Conaill will have got back down to business this week fully aware that a serious improvement will have to be made if they’re to hang with Malachy O’Rourke’s charges.

But the encouraging thing - from a Naomh Conaill point of view - is that they’ll know there are higher gears there to reach for. They’ll now also go into that last four clash as big underdogs. 

And no one does ‘written off’ or takes it to heart quite like Naomh Conaill. 

“Watty Grahams are a serious outfit - as tough as it gets,” said team captain Doherty. “But we want to test ourselves against the best. We know we have real improvements to make. The management will look back at the video and see how we rectify that and make amends. 

A win over the reigning champions and Derry kingpins has the obvious potential to propel them into another Ulster decider. 

But if Naomh Conaill could progress with Glen’s scalp in hand, it would no doubt also represent the club’s greatest championship victory ever. 

Imagine the momentum the Davy Brennan Memorial Park men would bring with them to that decider. Speaking right after the weekend’s win though, Doherty said the immediate conversations would have to centre on what their second-half efforts were so lacklustre. 

“It wasn’t looking good, it looked like it was gone,” he admitted as the hosts led by two deep into injury time.  “We were on the wrong end of it last year, against Cargin. So it was sweet to have it fall our way this time out. Fair play to Kevin McGettigan, he was the man that saved the day. 

“Last year,  that was a tough pill to swallow, it was a quiet journey home from Belfast. We didn’t want to experience that again. But we know ourselves the performance wasn’t good enough. We got a wee bit of luck but we’ll take it. 

“It was all about getting over the line. Our full focus was on Gowna because we knew how good they were. And they proved that”. 

Naomh Conaill had exited 1-5 to 0-4 clear in Kingspan Breffni Park with Leo McLoone’s brilliant goal seeming to suggest the Donegal champions had a comfortable grip on matters. 

But Gowna had other ideas. 

“Leo did so well with the wee chip and some probably thought we were going in at half-time comfortably, four points up. But we spoke about it, we expected them to come out all guns blazing. 

“They pressed right up, they had real intensity. They were actually four down in the Cavan decider as well but ended up winning convincingly. So that was always coming.

“They came at us really hard. They were turning ball over… maybe we were just holding onto the ball a little longer than we needed to. They were winning dirty ball as well. There’s plenty of food for thought there, that’s for sure”.