Snow patrol – The Chris Snow story

By Shaun Casey

THINGS could have all turned out so differently for Chris Snow, Fermanagh and Ederney. As a teenager, Snow fantasized about sailing across the Irish Sea and making a career as a goalkeeper in England.

The possibilities seemed endless. Numerous trials at different clubs suggested that ambition was more than just a dream. There was a real possibility he could make it.

Unfortunately, in the end, it just didn’t happen. He came close a couple of times to signing contracts with some notable clubs, but it didn’t materialize. England’s loss was Fermanagh and Ederney’s gain.

“I would have still played for Ederney but whenever I was 15 or 16, my aspirations were to go across the water and then when I hit 17 it became apparent that it wasn’t looking likely to happen,” Snow recalled.

“I was invited into the county minor panel and had a stab at that. When I came out of the minors, I was into the u-21s and played three years there before going into the senior panel. From 17 right through, Fermanagh took over from the soccer.

“I had a ream of trials from Man United to Sunderland, I think I was at nine different clubs. I was at Stoke on three different occasions and they were the closest I came to talking contracts and stuff with.

“I was at Charlton, Leicester, I spent a week at Newcastle when I was 14. I got to train with Shay Given and everything, I had some amazing experiences with soccer, I had a week at Southampton as well when I was 16.

“They had digs so all the scholars that weren’t local stayed in this hotel, it was for all the academy players and Gareth Bale was actually there at the time. He was in the first team, but he was staying with the rest of the boys that he had come through with in the academy.”

While he didn’t make it, Snow got an eye-opener into professional football and took those experiences back home.

“I went to Sunderland for my first trial when I was 13 and I was taken over with a scout but when I was 14, I headed off by myself.

“Mum and dad left me to the airport. I met the scout at the other side and that was it, whereas you probably wouldn’t hear of that now, a 14-year-old travelling by themselves for a trial, but it was an incredible experience.”

From rubbing shoulders with Given and Bale, Snow was greeted by GAA royalty when he was called into Fermanagh’s first team. Tyrone legend and two-time All-Ireland winner Peter Canavan was the manager at the time.

“I was flirting with the idea of going back to soccer and maybe playing a bit of Irish League and then Peter got the job, so it was obviously an attractive team to be a part of, you knew it was going to be a good setup,” Snow explained.

“There were trials on a few Wednesday nights, and I was lucky enough to get picked. We had a good first year under Peter, we got promoted out of Division Four and we were competitive in the league the next year again.

“We were unlucky not to get promoted the second year, we got beat down in Navan by Meath in the last game and Meath and Monaghan went on up ahead of us, but I really enjoyed the time under Peter.

“We maybe didn’t get the success that we deserved those few years. I’d only played underage, but it was a real professional setup under Peter, training was good, and everything was a good, high standard.”

For a few years, Fermanagh were mixing it with the very best. In 2015, they went all the way to the All-Ireland quarter-finals and gave a good account of themselves against a Dublin side that was about to achieve their first of six All-Ireland titles in-a-row.

In ’16, Mayo, who brought Dublin to an All-Ireland final replay just two weeks later, ended their journey in the Qualifiers. With under ten minutes remaining, the Erne County had their hosts on the ropes, leading by the bare minimum.

With Aidan O’Shea at full-forward, Mayo always offered a threat. O’Shea earned a penalty, tumbling over with next to no contact from Che Cullen. Cillian O’Connor slotted the spot kick past Snow and Fermanagh’s season was shattered.

“We definitely felt that we were there or thereabouts to compete,” Snow continued. “There was a strong breeze in Castlebar that day and we got pinned in during the second half, but the penalty was a big swing.

“We had built up a bit of a lead, and the goal gave them a bit of breathing space and took the momentum away from us. It’s all ifs and buts but we definitely competed well that year.

“It was frustrating at the time. You always have that in your head that the big teams get the calls, and you always feel that the wee teams don’t. In that last ten minutes, we probably didn’t control the game the way we should have.

“Looking back, we slowed the game down which was inviting them on and giving them the chance to get pressed up on us whereas we just needed to get our hands on the ball and kill the game.

“We had chances in the first half of that game where we had the breeze and we maybe could have been further ahead and we didn’t take them but that’s just the joys of it, you always look at the wee bits that you could have done better.

“Even in the Ulster semi-final against Donegal in Ballybofey, Neil McGee got sent off just before half time and we got a penalty. Mark Anthony McGinley saved it whereas if that goes into the back of the net, we’re going in at half time with a bit of momentum.

“That wee moment didn’t happen for us, but we knew we could compete. Donegal were there or thereabouts at that stage as well and we were full confident that we could compete with the top teams.”

The 2017 season didn’t go to plan and by the end of that campaign, Snow decided enough was enough and he stepped away from the inter-county scene, although he did make a brief comeback in 2021.

“We were due our second child that September, so we have two boys at that stage.

“I knew that was going to be five days a week so to be honest, I prioritised family life. If I was going to Fermanagh training, I’d have been away from the house at 6pm and maybe home at 10:30pm and I was only in the door from work at 5:15pm.

“I just felt that my family needed me more than Fermanagh did. I wasn’t fully convinced that I’d be the number one and I felt that giving that commitment and leaving my family at home was too big a sacrifice.”

Looking back, there is a tinge of regret. The following year, Fermanagh defeated Armagh and Monaghan to reach their first Ulster final since 2008. Instead of being on the pitch enjoying the buzz, Snow was in the stands watching on.

“I remember the semi-final, we were out in Belfast on the Saturday night, and we were travelling home the next day, so I watched the second half and when Eoin (Donnelly) flicked that goal in, I was delighted for the boys, but there was that bit in the back of my head too.

“Even when they ran out (in the Ulster final), the hair stood up on the back of my neck and the noise that was in Clones, you start to think that I should have went for another year.

“But again, all the joy on those two days, would it have been worth the commitment that I had to give that whole season and missing out on time with the boys? I think I’m happy enough with my decision.”

While an Ulster final appearance would have been nice, the extra time helped Snow focus on club football.

In 2020, Ederney embarked on a historic trip that would finish with a first county title in 52 years.

“We probably always felt that we had a good crop coming through so from 2010 onwards, we always felt we were fit to compete. We came up against Roslea with the two Quigleys (Seamus and Sean) for a few years and then Derrygonnelly were dominant.

“We still believed that we had a team that could get over the line. We had an influx of younger players like Sean Cassidy, Ryan Morris and Conor Magee, they helped bring the quality of the overall squad on.

“2020 was probably the first time that, when we hit championship, we had everybody available, which had hammered up in the past. It all clicked in 2020.

“There were no distractions obviously with the lockdown restrictions. Everybody bought in, we had nobody in Belfast or Dublin because most of the boys were working from home. We got the reward, and it’ll live with us forever.”

2020 was a year of lockdowns and restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but Snow and his teammates still grasped the opportunity to not only celebrate their achievement, but make sure the memories made will last a lifetime.

“I suppose they’re not going to come after us now!” he laughed. “There’s a wee rural bar we have, people would know it as The Cross, we were able to have a bit of a party in there, we still got plenty of joy out of it, so it was brilliant.

“We got back up to the clubrooms and even to see the youth around was great.

“The bit I really enjoyed was the day after and bringing the trophy into the school and just seeing the kids and seeing what it meant to them.”