Club championship game number 128 on Sunday for Stephen McGrath

Saturday, 15th July 2006 was a famous day with a number of big events taking place, including:

• Launch of Twitter: The microblogging platform originally known as Twitter (now called X) officially launched on July 15, 2006.
• Israel-Lebanon Crisis: The conflict escalated sharply as Hezbollah fired over a hundred rockets into northern Israeli cities, prompting heavy Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and emergency declarations on the home front.
• Celebrity Weddings: Avril Lavigne married Deryck Whibley in Montecito, California, and Ashley Cole married Cheryl Tweedy at Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire.
• Stephen McGrath senior club championship debut: Naomh Conaill took on Killybegs in Davy Brennan Memorial Park.

There have been changes in the intervening 20 years but some things have stayed the same. Twitter is now a common means of communication; Israel are still bombing and Stephen McGrath is still between the posts at Naomh Conaill.

McGrath will line out for the 128th time between the posts on Sunday next in the club championship in MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey. That is the standout statistic looking at Sunday’s Michael Murphy Donegal Senior Championship final between Naomh Conaill and St Eunan’s.

The two sides will be meeting for the seventh time in the Donegal final with the tally level at three wins each. But the involvement of the Naomh Conaill goalkeeper, who has not missed a single minute of action since making his debut against Killybegs in Davy Brennan Memorial Park on 15th July, 2006, is a staggering statistic.

He is playing in his 21st championship season and yet is rarely seen at the front end of the team. McGrath is happy to fulfill his role in a quiet, unassuming way, rarely in the spotlight. Yet his contribution has been immense. He has seven Dr Maguire medals, just one behind teammates Brendan McDyer, Leo McLoone, Anthony Thompson and Eoin Waide (who will set a new Donegal record if Naomh Conaill win).

Sunday next will be Stephen McGrath’s 13th Donegal county final and he is never really over-excited about the big occasions.

Looking back through the records to his debut in 2006, Naomh Conaill were the reigning county champions after defeating St Eunan’s the previous year. McGrath was actually called into the squad for the Ulster championship game against Mayobridge at the end of 2005.

In that opening game of 2006 against Killybegs, Naomh Conaill prevailed by 0-13 to 0-10 with Declan Boyle playing a major role for the Fishermen, who were without Seamus Coleman, who had just signed for Sligo Rovers.

Among the huge crowd that Saturday evening in Glenties was new Donegal senior team boss Brian McIver. The teams and scorers were:

Naomh Conaill: Stephen McGrath; Dominic Bonner, Paddy Campbell, Johnny Bonner; John Timoney, Thomas Donoghue, Eoin Waide; Eugene Molloy, Anthony Thompson (0-3, 1f); Brendan McDyre (0-2, 1f), Johnny McLoone (0-2), Marty Boyle; Leon Thompson (0-5), Jim McGuinness, Dara Gallagher (0-1).

Sub: Leo McLoone for Molloy.

Killybegs: Anthony O’Hara; Shane Boyle, Andrew Mullin, Gary Conaghan; Peter McGinley, Shane Molloy, Declan Boyle (0-2); John Ban Gallagher (0-1), Christopher Murrin; Kevin Martin (0-1), Mark Boyle, Paul McGinley (0-1); Brendan Faherty (0-4, 1f), Daniel Breslin (0-1), Pauric Gallagher.

Subs: Kevin Conwell for Conaghan, Shane McGuinness for Martin and Brendan Maguire for P Gallagher.

Referee: Mick McGrath (Ballyshannon).

TYRONE BACKGROUND

There is a twist of fate in the Stephen McGrath story as his father is a staunch Tyrone man who came to live in Glenties and while Stephen recounts that he never played a game of football in his life, he was a great supporter of Tyrone - and still is.

“He played cricket and did a bit of boxing and stuff like that, but never played football. The football would come from my mum’s (Jacqueline) dad, Vincent Sweeney, who played for Donegal,” says McGrath.

“But the whole story of me getting into football would be all about my dad. I went to all the Tyrone games with him. Back when I was growing up I would have been at more Tyrone games than Donegal games and it was when Tyrone were winning All-Irelands.”

Stephen’s father, Joe, is still a staunch Tyrone supporter and the craic is good when Donegal are playing Tyrone.

“In fairness to dad, that’s where the football began. We would be out in the garden, me and him kicking. Back in the day we’d no car. We just lived across the river from the pitch in Glenties, so we would walk down to the river and he would piggyback me across the river to train. So that’s how it all began with me as regards wanting to play football.

“Tyrone had a serious team at that time. I remember watching Finbarr McConnell, a brother of Pascal’s, and wanting to be a ‘keeper.”

McGrath was on Donegal squads for the Buncrana Cup and at minor level but didn’t make the championship team. “I remember playing all the Minor League games but then being left out for the championship against Armagh in Ballybofey. I remember it was the day Donegal seniors defeated Armagh when their goalkeeper Paul Hearty let in a goal late on.”

At club level, however, it was a different story as McGrath was called into the panel at the end of 2005 after they won the county final. “Hughie Molloy was manager and he asked me to come in as cover for the Ulster club championship.”

He did play a few times outfield for Naomh Conaill and remembers playing in an U-16 county final and Leo McLoone snr took him out to midfield for the second half. “Now we lost that final, so maybe it wasn’t a great idea,” laughs McGrath.

He didn’t get a call up to Donegal at U-21 level but at club level played in five Donegal U-21 finals in-a-row, winning four of them.

But it is the run of 127 consecutive club championship games which really stands out. “It’s a funny kind of stat and it’s one I would have never paid any heed to until recently. I think it was one of the lads who said, ‘you’ve never missed a game’. It’s a mad stat really.

“I’ve been lucky injury-wise. I haven’t had anything too crazy. And anything that maybe I have had, has happened outside of championship.”

McGrath agrees that you have to be different to be a ‘keeper as mistakes are openly dissected. “And I’ve made plenty. I know what it’s all about. I think, don’t take it to heart and get on with it. You have to put mistakes to the back of your head; it has to be the next ball.

“I wouldn’t have the loudest voice in the world, but I would be always talking to the defenders.”

The changes that have taken place over the years are interesting with goalkeeping coaches now employed. “We would have had a dedicated goalkeeping coach at minor level with Donegal but not at club level then. Now it’s stepped up, the whole ‘keeper coaching side of things.”

Looking back it was so different with kicks outs off the ground from the small rectangle. There wasn't much of a strategy in the pre-match about where I think we're at nowadays. One of the things I do definitely remember is in ‘06, myself, John Gildea and (Jim) McGuinness were talking about kick outs. And we fashioned a short kick-out; I’d give a wee signal and John would be at half-back. My job was just a wee dink out there. That was our level of kick out strategy.

“I remember John, he'd say, just put that kick out in front of me and I'll win it.”

It was 2009 before McGrath and Naomh Conaill got back to a county final. “After 2005 we let ourselves down for a few years. There was a lot of talk about our great underage team. I suppose no more than Four Masters now. Sometimes it can just be hard to transfer it over.

“We won in 2010 and then had a mighty Ulster run and could have won it.

“We got hit for two goals that day by Oisin McConville and Jamie Clarke (Crossmaglen). They had a serious, serious team.”

As for making saves, McGrath says he would have more memories of the goals that went in than the ones he saved. “I can still remember the Oisin McConville and Jamie Clarke goals.”

He did reference a save he made against Glenswilly in the semi-final two weeks ago but then added: “You would just say, that was a nice height, and move on.

“I suppose the saves during the penalty shoot-out in the Covid final (against Kilcar). I saved two penalties that night. The first you would say was standard enough but the second save was maybe a wee bit better.”

Pushed about any other saves, he said he remembers saving a penalty from Paddy McBrearty and also a save from Michael Murphy. “It was a long ball in; it was on TG actually. He got a flick on it and I kind of did a big sprawling dive and tapped it around the post. I remember watching it back on TV and I could see Murphy’s reaction, ‘that should have been a goal’.”

McGrath was happy that Michael Murphy didn’t get a goal chance in the semi-final a couple of weeks ago and credits Shean Roarty for keeping him on his outside.

Asked about the championship format in Donegal, McGrath said he wouldn’t be against going back to the old system of home and away. “The Tyrone championship of all knockout is a great spectacle but if you’re training 10 months of the year for one game, it is harsh. Because any team can have an off-day.”

On Sunday an old rivalry is renewed with St Eunan’s and there has been a huge contrast in their games with St Eunan’s starting well and Naomh Conaill finishing their games well.

And does McGrath get worried when there is a gap. “Last year we were seven down at half-time. I wouldn't have been worried. Now the last day (against Glenswilly) when you have four or five minutes and you’re five down (that’s different).

“Realistically we need a goal or a couple of two pointers and the two pointers have made the game different.”

Looking forward to Sunday’s game McGrath says the arrival back from Australia of Ethan O’Donnell is some compensation for losing Kieran Gallagher. And he is full of praise for the Roartys, the Dohertys, Kevin McGettigan while young Daithi Molloy will be playing in his first final. “He is a serious player. He came in for a couple of sessions early in the year and you could just tell he was at the level.”

Working at home since Covid, McGrath says he is a light sleeper but won’t get too fazed about the final. Before Covid McGrath did live in Letterkenny where a work colleague was Gaoth Dobhair’s Eamon McGee.

“I remember the year we played them three times, Sally Furey was working there and she planted a Glenties scarf on his desk and he put a photo up on Instagram saying ‘the mind games have begun’. It was good craic at the time.”

On Sunday next Stephen McGrath will update the individual appearances record once more, reaching 128 not out. As a goalkeeper 37 is relatively young. The target of 150 is not beyond the Naomh Conaill stalwart.