McShea: Naomh Conaill just come up short in dramatic Omagh climax 

After a determined and courageous performance, our county champions Naomh Conaill were just pipped at the post by Watty Grahams, the Ulster title holders and defeated All Ireland finalists last year.

To lose any game with the last kick of the match is difficult to accept and it is especially difficult when a team is on the cusp of a provincial final. 

When Martin Regan’s men reflect on this disappointment, they will know that this was a game that was there for the taking. 

Glen were far from at their best and while they began in dominant fashion, they made hard work of getting scores on the board against a battling Glenties team. 

The winners kicked ten wides, many of them from scoring positions, and they also left at least six scoring attempts short. 

On this display, Glen manager Malachy O’Rourke will be very aware that a major improvement will be required if his team are to retain their provincial crown when they play Scotstown in the decider the week after next. 

Naomh Conaill needed to start this game well, but they didn’t as it took them almost 25 minutes to get their first score and even at this stage of the game, the lack of firepower in their attack was a major concern. 

Nobody can appreciate the dedication and commitment these lads put into preparing for this game, but they will know that they didn’t perform as well as they could have done on Saturday. 

Glen’s experience in the crucial closing moments was critical, they did their job and to be quite honest they were the better team on the day. 

In previewing this game, many pundits felt that Glen would prevail with a bit to spare but a feature of this Glenties side is their character, their intense desire for victory and their enormous pride in that famous blue jersey. 

Martin Regan was once again honest and objective in his post-match interview. He clearly is a manager who thinks a lot about the game. He has gained a lot of experience in recent years, a period that will go down in history as Naomh Conaill’s golden era. 

Regan has clearly brought Glenties on as a team and no doubt there will be many people at Naomh Conaill very keen to see him stay at the helm for another few years. 

In recent years they have performed as a committed and competitive team that clearly yearned for Ulster glory. On Saturday they were only one step away from a third final appearance. 

There was always going to be tension, nervousness and mistakes. Rarely will you see a semi-final reported as a wonderful game. 

In semi-finals, often big-name players are tightly marked or have an off day and lesser players shine. 

In Omagh, AJ Gallagher, the Glenties full-back, showed great determination and a never-say-die attitude that has been a feature of his career. 

He played full-back, half-back, full-forward he was doing everyone’s job. It is a long time since I saw a man covering as much ground or playing in so many positions. 

Ciaran Thompson, who is playing the best football of his career, stoked the fire in Glenties’ engine room. 

Ciaran’s name is synonymous with his club’s unrelenting appetite for success. His display against Glen was uncompromising and passionate and apart from his excellent workrate, he kicked three outstanding points from the middle of the park. 

John O’Malley, apart from scoring an excellent penalty which allowed the large Glenties support to find their voice, had a fine match also. 

Creative and intelligent in possession, he never wasted a ball. It will take some time for Naomh Conaill to put this defeat behind them. It’s great to be going into the last few weeks of the year knowing that you are still there. 

You are training in Glenties, it’s wintertime and it is dark. The sky is black before you even start training and that’s a nice feeling. In the town you can see the smoke coming out of the chimneys, and that makes you realise that you are part of a very good team. 

But for Glenties, the training is now over for this year, but they are a seriously good team, and they had a seriously good year. They’ll once again start 2024 as the outfit to beat in Donegal.