Friends, teammates, winners.
Gaoth Dobhair beat Scotstown to win their first ever Ulster senior football championship on Sunday afternoon.
What a journey it’s been for the Gaeltacht side who, after cruising to glory in the Donegal championship, were dealt a cruel blow in the first round of Ulster when their key player, Kieran Gillespie, did his cruciate ligament right at the throw-in against Cargin.
Now Gillespie is no ordinary player, he’s one of the finest youngsters Donegal have produced in quite some time. He dominated the county final against Glenties from centre back which was particularly special for him, given he’d spent the best of the last two years on the sideline with two hip injuries.
He was back and he was coming into his own then only for the dreaded cruciate to strike him down again.
Gaoth Dobhair would be up against it from then on but they had the fight for it.
They blitzed Crossmaglen in the Ulster semi-final next time out, Daire Ó Baoill and Odhran Mac Niallais having field days in the middle of the field.
The Ulster final, however, on a dirty day up in Omagh would prove a completely different ball game. It was a dog fight but Gaoth Dobhair had the dogs with 37-year-old Kevin Cassidy playing like he used to play ten years ago. With fire, passion, grit and strength.
Eamon McGee was similarly to the fore while Michael Carroll, still only 21 years of age, ran himself into the ground up there.
They had to come through extra-time, they had to come through a serious Scotstown side, but in the end, a late Seaghan Ferry point was enough to grant them a historic 0-13 0-12 victory after 80 minutes of football.
Gaoth Dobhair are Ulster Senior Club Football Champions for 2018! pic.twitter.com/f3stWMsie5
— The GAA (@officialgaa) December 2, 2018
The best was saved until last, however, when captain Friel, Gillespie’s teammate all the way up along, wouldn’t lift the cup until Gillespie lifted the other side of it with him.
After such tough blows, that must have been a great moment for Gillespie on another beautiful Sunday for Gaoth Dobhair.
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