There is no better feeling for any self respecting retired Gaelic Footballer than reliving the “Days Of Past Glories”. For senior midfielder and former captain Brendan Fullen, this is evermore apparent and he grins with pride whilst recounting the Intermediate Championship Final of 1991. That first encounter with Edendork was a bruising affair. Vice-Captain on the day was Niall Kilpatrick and he recalls “I was suffering from a mild concussion. I think I was fairly well dazed when Brendy knocked over that equalising score………and as a result, it didn’t register with me at the time, just how important that score actually was”.
So www.theplunkettsgac.ie called up to Keeragh this week. The door was open and the kettle was on. We sat back and put the feet up as Big Brendy took us on a wonderful journey down memory lane.
“When I look back…….”Jesus, did I have a great time?” I try to get that through to any youth team players, how important it is to realise that when you come to my age, have kids and look back, just ponder for a minute “Did I enjoy football?” I have so much to say about football in general, but you guys have asked me to stick to this particular event, so I will be as honest as I can. Throughout the Championship and the League that year I played in Enda’s shadow. I always seen myself as his worker, covering for him as he broke forward, and for me, that’s what teamwork is all about. I would like to talk about the importance of “TEAM”. I know the old saying “There is no I in T-E-A-M” but I can honestly say that I have played with guys whom I did not neccessarily like but I would have done anything for them on the field and I’m positive that they would have done the same for me.”
“Some say I was passionate. BLOODY SURE I WAS! I loved…….or should I say, LOVE football and my Club, only in a different way now and I can honestly say, at this juncture, what I (or indeed any of the boys) wouldn’t give to play competitive football again………..My God I’m actually getting emotional. Sorry, back to that day”.
“We were in the changing rooms. The team was being read out. Don’t forget that I had played in every game in the League and Championship. We were up against a strong Edendork midfield. They had a guy called Niall McGuinness who I believe had played for Tyrone. He NEVER touched a ball against me at school, and still couldn’t even to this day……..hmmm!! Anyway, the team was read out and……..wait…….”F@#*!!”…….I WASN’T EVEN ON IT!! A few of the boys looked blank. “What!…..what!….WHAT!!” Nothing. I couldn’t believe it. They didn’t even tell me or warn me or anything (the management that is). Man, I was angry.”
“We went out on the field. I couldn’t wait to get to the dugouts. I am not going to lie. I was angry but despite my own feelings, and it might sound cheesy, but for the club I hoped that we could do the business. Sorry, but getting back to the story, the first half was not good. The football was bad. We were behind all the time and I think on reflection, we didn’t make a change at half-time. By then I was seriously pissed off. Surely anybody, just to change the game. I still can’t express how mad I was.”
“It was about ten minutes into the second half. You know the story, as a player you are sitting on the bench, the management are huddled together…..you know that they are going to make a change. You are pretending not to be watching them, but really you are watching. You are just sitting there waiting on the call. I think I was actually off the bench before Brian Quinn had finished calling out my name…..ha,ha. The game was 5 points to 4 points at this stage. I got the ball out on the right wing, knocked it inside to JJ Cavanagh and went for the return. He went for his point, forty yards out and, well, it wasn’t his day, ten yards wide. I shouted over to him about the return and he held his hand up in acknowlegment. He should have passed.”
“Twelve minutes left. I got another ball, this time on the left side. I turned inside my man, let fly with the outside of my left boot. It was going over……..and just at the last moment it turned away. “F@#*!!” I looked over the wire and could see Big Gerard ‘effing and blinding’. I didn’t care. I knew it was going to be my day and that’s the truth man. I was was on the pitch and I was going to show what I could do. Five minutes left on the clock, maybe less. I got the ball more or less on the exact same place and did the exact same thing. I swung my left boot from the outside. More to the right this time. AAHH!!! Was it or wasn’t it? IT WAS!!! Precision personified or what? Straight over the black spot.”
“I cannot answer for anyone else at this stage, but the hairs were up on the back of my neck and my heart was going like the hammers of hell. I couldn’t really tell you what happened after that but I was on cloud nine after the whistle went. Congrats all round and pats on the back. I suppose you could say that when I look back, that was my moment“.
“Moving on, the replay was scheduled for the following weekend and being completely honest, as I am, I did think to myself how can they not play me from the start, in the middle where I belong as Enda was out due to suspension, I think. We trained on the Tuesday night, I was brought to the one side and told that I was starting in the middle, man was I looking forward to proving a point. I looked after myself all week. People were talking to me in the street about the equaliser, even John St George to this day, and others, still bring this up”.
“Just in case you have forgotten about myself and Niall McGuinness, I had played against him at school, he didn’t get a look in then and I was going to make sure that he wouldn’t get a touch in the replay. I was confident. I don’t know what people think of that, but I am telling you exactly what I was thinking then and even talking to you guys, it is as fresh now as it was back then. I don’t know whether people remember much about the replay but I do because that to me, that was the time when I came out from under Big Enda’s shadow and I never had as good a game of football as I did that day. I fielded everything, I caught balls that I couldn’t believe were still in my hands when I came down. We coasted away with it. I can’t even remember the score but two things stick out in my mind that day:
Firstly, in all the congratulations, I can recall Niall McGuinness coming over to me to congratulate me on our success. Secondly, a guy whom I hardly knew then, Anthony Conway, came over to me, and I am telling you now his exact words were “Well done. I have never seen an individual performance like that, EVER”. Truely his words, not mine and that has always stuck out in my mind.”
“I hope I haven’t bored you with my account from 1991 but God that was my year, well I think so anyway”.
Never Brendy. We will never tire of of hearing such things. Thanks for the tea…….and the buns
pure class, brendy mind it well, but its the way you tell it
Indeed. The nostalgia is thick. Brings a tear to my eye Brendy.
What a magic moment from brendy, a great score that has spurred on generations of footballers since. Cant wait to read the book!!