Columbans won the Arthurs cup ten years ago

In his column in this week’s Gaelic Life, Steven Poacher recalls the 2007 Ulster bank Arthurs Cup final, in which his school beat the odds and defeated St Paul’s Bessbrook.

Poacher explains the coaching that went into that final victory, and points out that the players who were part of that team still remember the lessons they learned during that campaign.

“Interestingly we did run a lot of set plays at training, from side line balls and free kicks from outside the scoring zone. It was only a few weeks back when past pupil Cathal Doyle visited the school after a 10-year absence to speak to our students in careers week.

“He said to me: ‘Sir do you remember the goal in the Ulster final v St Paul’s. That was the exact play we worked on in training religiously. ”

“That was so satisfying to hear that even after 10 years that memory is still in that lad’s head. It shows the long lasting impact you can have as a coach.

“It’s just further proof of player development through coaching and guidance from nowhere to champions in the space of a year.”