All-Ireland Club Football Championship Semi-final/ St Gall's 0-10 Nemo Rangers 1-6: The men and women of the Falls Road dawdled long and happily on the field at Portlaoise yesterday. They swapped the sort of grins and hugs only those who have struggled together are entitled to. Twenty-three years ago they last got to this altitude and were tumbled by a last-minute goal. They said they'd be back. Yesterday they arrived.
In the closing minutes Nemo, who have conquered and colonised this great competition, poured forward looking for the late plunder that would save the day. It never came and St Gall's, almost in disbelief, celebrated the most famous victory in their long history. A trip to Dublin awaits.
Ah, this charming competition. Paddy's Day is to have a different complexion. St Gall's meet Salthill. Nemo and Kilmacud, two of the largest clubs in the country, have time to go to the parade.
John Rafferty, the Armagh man who played with his county when it was less popular and arrived at St Gall's as a student in 1989 and has been there since, stood on the sideline afterwards with a child in his arms and looked at the celebrations his work had wrought.
"I have memories of Croke Park myself," he said. "I played for Armagh when we didn't get there that often but I still remember the league final of 1984. In fact it would still annoy me to think about it (a nine-point loss to Meath can have that effect). But it's wonderful to think that these guys are going to play there. It's a great moment for the club and for Antrim football and for all the people who have worked to put St Gall's where they are."
St Gall's had almost 40 players training on the beach in Newcastle on New Year's morning. The togetherness and spirit deeds like that engender was evident all over the field yesterday.
And Nemo? Their young team came up short but it is in the nature of great dynasties to replenish themselves. They will be back, and even though they won't share the sentiment in Trabeg, this great, democratic competition benefits from the occasional toppling of a Goliath.
Not that we saw the pebble coming from the slingshot. If setbacks against Crossmolina and Ballinderry early in the decade shook the faith of some of us who believed Nemo invincible in this competition, their riposte in regrouping this winter with a raft of new faces convinced us it was business as usual.
Faced with a team many of whom weren't born the last time their predecessors escaped Ulster we placed the mortgage and the kids' future on Nemo.
A little troubling then to find Nemo two points down and scoreless from play at half-time. There were reasons of course. The wind favoured St Gall's. So did the style of refereeing. Mainly though, St Gall's looked sharper.
Kevin McGourty was moved out from the traditional area of operations for a full forward, leaving the corner forwards Kevin Niblock and Karl Stewart to congregate on the 14-yard line. McGourty proceeded to process a ton of ball and the Gall's tactic of hitting it wide for the corner forwards to run out to worked a treat. Or would have if the boys had mustered more accuracy.
Nemo switched James Masters into full forward and brought Paul Kerrigan out to the left wing. Neither switch worked as well as hoped though Nemo earned more dividends than seemed likely in the first half from the long, high ball into the St Gall's square.
One such loft fell to Seán Burns on 21 minutes and his goal attempt was saved by Paddy Murray. Sensing a weakness Nemo kept trying, and five minutes later David Niblock fielded on the edge of the Gall's square and was hauled down. The penalty was cashed in by James Masters. Nemo were level.
We expected now they would cruise home. Instead Seán O'Brien from a dead ball and Aodhán Gallagher from long range tacked points on before the break to restore the St Gall's lead.
The resurgence never came. With three McGourty brothers now in the Gall's attack (Kieran and Conor had come on as substitutes) St Gall's just pulled away. Their tactic of massing in the middle third of the park worked well and Nemo found themselves suffocated as their half forwards struggled for possession.
Nemo's best chance came seconds after they introduced John Paul O'Neill midway through the half. The Gall's half-back line was suddenly breached and O'Neill found himself in receipt of a handpass and with just the goalkeeper to beat. He dinked the ball against the post and wide.
At that stage there was a quarter of an hour left and Nemo had yet to score from play. They broke that duck after 51 minutes but it was not enough.
When the whistle blew St Gall's were down to 14 men, having lost Garry McGirr to a second yellow card late on, but Nemo's chase looked futile.
" I suppose we were lucky to be only two points down at half-time." said Ephie Fitzgerald, Nemo's gracious manager.
"We knew what was coming but on the day we couldn't do it. I hope they go all the way."
Yesterday's evidence suggests they have the nous to do just that.
ST GALLS: P Murray; S Kennedy, A McClean, C Brady; A Healy, G McGirr, S Kelly (capt); M McCrory, C McCrossan; P Gribbin, S Burns (0-7, six frees), A Gallagher (0-1); K Stewart (0-1), K McGourty, K Niblock. Subs: Kieran McGourty for A McClean (4 mins), C McGourty (0-1) for C McCrossan (49 mins), C Gallagher for K Niblock (58 mins), C Smyth for P Gribbin (59 mins), T O'Neill for Stewart (62 mins).
NEMO RANGERS: D Heaphy; G Murphy, N Geary, G O'Shea; M Daly, B O'Regan, N O'Sullivan (0-1); M Cronin (capt), D Kavanagh; J Masters (1-5, penalty, four frees), S O'Brien, D Niblock; P Kerrigan, A Cronin, W Morgan. Subs: D Mehigan for Kerrigan (41 mins), JP O Neill for D Kavanagh (44 mins). C O'Shea for Daly (49 mins), J Kavanagh for A Cronin (56 mins), A Morgan for O'Brien (56 mins).
Referee: T Quigley (Wexford).
