NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS: Keith Dugganon why Conleth Gilligan finally seems to believe he has found a role within the Derry attacking unit despite being around the panel since 1999
ON A FORLORN Saturday evening in May of 2000, Derry and Meath met in a National League final replay around tea-time in Clones. It was a low-key conclusion to the competition and the match itself was disjointed and spiteful, illuminated only by bursts of fine fielding from Anthony Tohill. Afterwards, Meath manager Seán Boylan was more concerned with the loss of Mark O'Reilly with a broken arm than with the defeat and Eamonn Coleman praised his team but noted that folklore was rich with league teams who then slipped up in the championship.
One of Coleman's decisions that evening was to introduce Conleth Gilligan, then a young Ballinderry attacker of whom great things were anticipated. He replaced Ronan Rocks with 20 minutes to go.
That was not a match for pyrotechnics and over the following couple of seasons, it was with his club rather than his county that Gilligan began to exhibit his qualities. In the grand tradition of Derry football, the Shamrocks showed plenty of ambition when they won the county championship in 2001. That winter, they captured the Ulster title for the first time in 20 years and Gilligan's was the key name during the memorable odyssey that concluded with an All-Ireland club championship victory against Nemo Rangers on St Patrick's Day.
Gilligan won five man-of-the-match awards during that season in a run of consistent excellence that included an uncanny display of balance and accuracy against Rathnew, the Leinster champions. That semi-final was played in atrocious weather in Longford. Ballinderry captain Adrian McGuckian said afterwards: "Those were the worst conditions I ever played on in my life."
THEY DON'T CANCEL barbecue plans lightly up in Derry but they lobbied for a postponement of that match as the rain fell remorselessly making the pitch unplayable for everyone except, it seemed, Gilligan.
"That was the match that probably brought him to the fore in terms of being noticed nationally," recalls current Donegal manager Brian McIver, who guided Ballinderry to that All-Ireland. "It was hard for most players just to run on the pitch but Conleth was gliding. He took scores, he was hitting great passes and maybe for the first time, people sat up and acknowledged what kind of football player he was. Now, he would be the first to acknowledge the importance of players around him and particularly the influence Enda Muldoon had on his game. But yeah, Conleth was scoring for fun that year."
On an afternoon when kicking became a risky exercise, Gilligan converted an early penalty beautifully and added a further three points inside 20 minutes. He contributed a couple of classy points against the Cork champions in the final but advertised his facility as playmaker more than scorer in that match.
To those who saw Gilligan that year, it seemed as if he was destined to join his club-mate Muldoon on the front line of whatever promise Derry offered as potential Ulster championship contenders. But only now can it be said he has begun to share that limelight.
Tomorrow, Gilligan will become one of just a handful of current Derry players to collect a second league medal. It is hard to think of him as being as senior as Seán Marty Lockhart but he has been around the Derry panel since 1999. That fact alone is a testimony to his longevity and enduring quality. But although he has been a crucial player in several incarnations of Derry teams, his reputation has never flared as colourfully as Paddy Bradley's or Enda Muldoon's. It is puzzling to consider but after eight years on the county scene, people are still finding out about Conleth Gilligan.
"I would safely say even the Derry management for a couple of years were surprised that he was not transferring his club form to the county scene," McIver says.
"But I feel a lot of that was to do with the fact Conleth is one of these players you must use. If you involve him in the game, he will do the business. And this year, Derry are doing that and he is pulling the strings and looking like the Conleth of five or six years ago. He always had tremendous talent. And probably his performances for Ballinderry put him under pressure when he went into the county scene. He was new with players and it probably took them a couple of years for them to appreciate the type of ball he likes and indeed for Conleth to have the confidence to play as he can.
"But certainly, I felt last year he was fantastic against Dublin. Particularly in the first half. Then Derry were forced to make switches and it didn't suit him so well. And this year, he has been tremendous for club and county. He is doing the kind of things now for Derry that he did for Ballinderry back in 2001. He is a very natural footballer and when he is used properly, his passing is top class and he is very accurate. From both play and frees he compares to any forward in the country."
Gilligan's career is proof of the fact sometimes it can be hard to convert glittering club form into the currency of county football. Under successive managements, he has been in and out of the team. His qualities were recognised but channelling them to suit the overall Derry game wasn't always that easy. Mickey Moran looked to have found the solution in 2004 during Derry's march to the All-Ireland semi-final. Gilligan was not a first-team choice but made a series of notable impacts as a substitute. Every player wants to start but Gilligan accepted the role with grace, pointing out before the semi-final against Kerry: "When you have a settled team, it's hard to find a place in the starting line-up," he said. "All I can do is be ready to come in."
A summer later, he was also in and out. When Derry defeated Limerick in a tense qualifying match in Castlebar that brought the curtains down on Liam Kearns's time with the Treaty County, Moran reserved special praise for the Ballinderry man. He had introduced Gilligan with 11 minutes remaining and his adjustment from the bench to playmaker in a cagey, high-pressure game was a quiet marvel.
"I would go anywhere to see that smile on Conleth Gilligan's face that was there today," Moran said.
But after that championship, Gilligan opted out of the county panel, concentrating on his club duties. Since he has come back, he has looked more at home in the famous red and white shirt and finally seems to believe he has found a role within the attacking unit.
"That can be a problem for a lot of players," points out Derry full back Kevin McCloy. "I mean with Derry, you have Paddy and Eoin Bradley sitting in at full forward and that leaves not much room for any other quality players of that kind. Conleth is a prolific scorer but he can also be a great playmaker so where do you play a man like that? You have to make the best of a man like that because there are not so many of them about.
"Some felt he was best at centre-half and he was tried there and didn't seem to be happy and maybe having a freer role is more suited to him. Conleth maybe felt he wasn't right for it a couple of years ago. But he came back refreshed and he has definitely added a new dimension to our game. He has gone in corner forward and if things aren't working, we can pull him out and he fits in there."
When Derry came to play Donegal in Letterkenny a few weeks ago, McIver's eyes were drawn to the flashes of creativity and touch that emanated from Gilligan's involvement. It brought back memories - and future worries. The Ballinderry man hit two impressive frees and added another from play in a game that was a dry run for next month's Ulster championship tie.
The Donegal manager is well acquainted with the Derry side - not least because his son Michael is playing wing back on the team. He will be in Parnell Park tomorrow to enjoy the final and also to take a few notes on Derry. It seems safe to assume he will have to factor Gilligan into whatever plans he drafts.
"The fact he took his year off has maybe helped lift the expectation from his shoulders. He looks to me now like the player - he has the temperament, the ball skills and the vision - that people have seen with Ballinderry. Sometimes a good all-round player finds himself moved for the sake of the team to different positions. Whereas a guy who is recognised as the best centre-half or wing forward gets to stay there and work on the position. At Ballinderry, Conleth is centre-half and that suits him. It has taken more time with Derry. But whatever role he has been given this season, he has adopted to it very well."
So eight years after his cameo role in a national final in Clones, Conleth Gilligan is on the verge of claiming another piece of league silverware. Parnell Park is not the theatre of Derrymen's dreams. But Kerry are always the marquee opposition and a national final is not to be scoffed at.
Derry are moving with intent and well deserve to be on this late- April stage. They have the look of a united team with big ambitions. And this year, there is no doubt Gilligan has found his place.
