'We’re history makers now' - Four Masters captain Callum McCrea

When the final whistle blew in Belfast on New Year’s Day, Four Masters captain Callum McCrea must’ve known better than most that time holds the door for his team now, brushing the sediments of their past into a dustbin. 

The Donegal Town side can now roll with the audacity knowing that the future is bright for them. Three county minor titles in-a-row and now back-to-back Ulster championships, emulating the great Killybegs minor team of the 1980s, who would go on to be one of the most dominant teams Donegal senior football has ever seen. 

The Donegal champions have become a team magnetised by dancing with the best clubs on offer, coming into Wednesday’s Ulster final against a strong Magherafelt side who they beat by the thinnest of margins in this competition last season, it, therefore, seemed valid to question the authenticity of Four Masters latest conjuring before this final. 

The question marks grew larger after 15 minutes as Magherafelt controlled all aspects of the game until they didn’t. Like a coin flip, the Donegal Town side pushed this top Magherafelt side into feeling so ordinary. Suddenly, the game was for Four Masters to lose. 

It ended in a 1-8 to 0-9 point scoreline, seeing Four Masters as the first team in 10 years to retain the Ulster crown.  

Conor McCahill’s missed point and Kevin Muldoon’s shot straight at the goalkeeper late on could’ve been seen as defying moments had the Derry champions stolen this affair when Magherafelt’s Kian Maynes took a final shot at goal, in what was virtually the last kick of the game, only for Tomas Carr to push it out of harm’s way. 

For those working within the Four Masters’ underage system, the final whistle seemed to highlight the success of building a youth structure from the ground up for well over a decade and reaping the rewards from such success. 

But for McCrea, who became the first man to captain a side to two Jim McConville Cups, success has become second nature for his team. But his manner after the game concluded showed his worth as a leader amongst men who not only play but act beyond their years.

Commiserating with the opposition is one touch of class, the other was the team's respect and touch of dignity to show some things are higher than sport, when McCrea brought fellow teammate Terence McGovern, who lost his mother exactly one month after Wednesday's final, up with him to the stage to lift the Ulster trophy, with the players also wearing pink tape around their wrists as a mark of respect.

That form of togetherness and the importance of hard work paying off and stepping up to the occasion when it mattered most was McCrea's ultimate synopsis following his side's win. 

“I don’t think it gets much better than winning this cup back-to-back,” he said immediately after the game.  

“What we’ve done up here this last three years has been incredible; we’re history makers now but that might not sink in for another while but it’s still an unbelievable feeling right now.” 

The feeling was there that raising a green flag could tip the scale. The first sign of danger was employing midfielder Tiarnan McBride on the edge of the square for the opening minutes of the second-half to bother the Magherafelt backline.  

No sooner than when the instruction for McBride to move back to centre field during the next play from his management team was when a long ball dropped in by Turlough Carr, resulting in McBride tipping the ball behind him, finishing with Darragh Griffin to slap into the net. 

It gave Masters breathing space, but only slightly. 

“It’s unreal, really nerve-racking stuff towards the end when we couldn’t get out of our own half, but we’re just delighted to have gotten over the line and bring the cup back home,” McCrea said. 

“We knew from last year that this Magherafelt team were a top side. Scores were hard to come by in the first half because they played with a serious press, but we knew if we got a goal then that would be a big difference in the game. Thankfully we got that goal and that allowed us to hold out for the win.” 

The honour of being captain seemed only a small piece of McCrea’s happy puzzle. The act of achieving more silverware with a team of talented players was key. 

Just like during Wednesday’s final, when it mattered, Four Masters big game players delivered. Nevermind how players like the Carr brothers or Muldoon perform during the opening half, but how they perform when the game is in the melting pot was a truer measure of great players on a successful team. 

“It’s a privilege to be the captain of this team. I think we’re all hardworking which is the biggest thing you need if you want to be a top minor team. Hopefully, that can push us on into senior level now,” McCrea added.