By Michael McMullan

THE last time Connor Monaghan was in Clones was to watch Derry u-20s win the inaugural title in 2018.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think his return would be in the saffron of Desertmartin.

“It is an iconic venue in terms of Ulster football, for both club and county,” he said. “To get the opportunity to play there is fantastic.”

The last 10 years, and beyond, have brought more downs than ups for the club and he is glad to be able to eventually give something back to the loyal supporters.

Monaghan puts his finger on the reasons for Desertmartin’s growth into an exciting new team who will return to the intermediate ranks in Derry next season.

In the past, when players retired there wasn’t the influx coming through to keep topping up the squad. They’d be lucky to get one coming through from minor. Monaghan compares it to now, when five or six are coming through.

Players like Gavin Donnelly who snuffed out former Fermanagh star Eamon Maguire in their win over St Patrick’s Donagh. The electrifying Eunan McElhennon, who has scored three goals from wing-back this season and Lachlan Murray who has already attracted the attention of Derry manager Rory Gallagher.

“For one reason for another, it wasn’t happening for us,” Monaghan said of Desertmartin’s recent past, littered with early championship exits.

Kevin O’Neill, Danny Murray and Ciaran Higgins form a management team that “leave no stone unturned”, according to the player, but it’s a realisation from the players that has changed.

“It took a while for the penny to drop, but the players are now doing everything that has been asked of them,” Monaghan begins.

“That is probably the major point. The coaching was good (in the past), but the players weren’t towing in behind.”

He casts his mind back to a 2018 league clash with Banagher. Injuries helped numbers dwindle as low as 11 men at training in the week of the game. He and fellow player Enda McGuckin took it upon themselves to round up a few extra bodies.

One call was to current selector Danny Murray who had already hung up his boots.

“We were wondering if we’d have enough to play in that game. Desertmartin was full of footballers, but, for whatever reason, they weren’t all committing.

“Banagher won the Intermediate Championship that year and we ended up losing by a point against them that day.”

Now, things are different and Kevin O’Neill has the headache of having to name the official matchday 24 for games – a welcome change in
fortunes.

Last year’s u-16 and minor winning teams should leave the club in a healthy state long after Saturday’s showdown with Denn.

“A lot of us boys that have played senior football for 15 or 16 years, we really had nothing to show for anything,” said Monaghan of the new buzz around the club. Playing at Brewster Park gave the club an identity outside of Derry.

“We went out to represent the community we’ve been representing all those years, as well as the county. It was great to play on another championship winning team at a county ground and, I think, we gave a decent account of ourselves.”

With Steelstown and Glen also through to their respective semi-finals, Monaghan said it’s a real honour for Desertmartin to be part of the Oakleaf challenge at Ulster level.

“For Derry as a whole, it can only be good as well,” he said. “There are players on the Derry senior panel at the minute from all three clubs and it is going to stand Derry in a better stead as well that these players can produce players that can play county football.”

Monaghan knows the management will have them primed for this weekend’s challenge.

“Denn are a very strong team. Bar maybe Cookstown (who were knocked out by Sean McDermott’s), the rest of the teams are an unknown quantity, so that gives a different edge to the competition; you don’t know really what you are facing.”

Three years after watching an Ulster final as a fan from the O’Duffy Terrace, Connor Monaghan will in the heart of battle in the home of Ulster football as Desertmartin eye a final appearance.