Rossa’s new generation: 1991 winning captain Gerard Armstrong looks at the links to the current team

Rossa will take on St Brigid’s on Sunday, aiming to win a first county football title in 35 years. Gerard Armstrong was the captain all those years ago and looks at the link to the present day. 

By Michael McMullan

GERARD Armstrong was the last Rossa man to get his hands on the McNamee Cup.

Fast forward to now and pride radiates off every word as he looks ahead to the current crop’s showdown with St Brigid’s in Sunday’s Antrim Senior Football Championship final.

As captain of their 1991 winning team, the memories come flooding back like it was yesterday.

“It’s a big boost for the club, being back in the final after 35 years, and everybody’s talking about it,” he said.

“Although we have a long tradition, it is relatively new to most members of the club.”

There are so many links to the current group including manager Sean Fleming and his right-hand man Jimmy Rogers, who both have medals from ’91.

Hugh McGettigan’s son Cormac is on the team now. Dominic McEnhill’s was the goalkeeper back then. His sons Dominic and Michael, as well as nephew Liam, are hoping to make their own history this weekend.

“Sean Fleming has two sons on the team,” added Armstrong, who rarely misses a game regardless of age or code.“The Rogans, Paddy and Ger, their nephew Diarmuid is on the team now. Niall Crossan is a nephew of Collie Murphy from our team.”

Thomas Morgan scored the winning point against Portglenone in this year’s quarter final, following by an important goal against Cargin. His father Gary also played in ‘91.

“There are a lot of sons and nephews,” Armstrong added, “so there’s a big connection between this team and the team that played in the final in ‘91.”

Rossa beat St Paul’s in the final, a team that included Greg Finnegan, father of current St Brigid’s players Patrick and Joseph.

GENERATION GAME…Dominic McEnhill (1) saved Greg Finnegan’s penaly in the 1991 final, both have two sons lining out in in Sunday’s final

With 20 minutes gone in a low-scoring first-half in ’91, Greg saw his penalty saved by Rossa ‘keeper Dominic McEnhill, who, according to the Andersonstown News report, was in line for man of the match.

Both have sons on the current team who will face for in Sunday’s decider.

“People say St Paul’s missed a penalty that day, but Dominic always says it was a saved penalty,” Armstrong added.

“We were the complete underdogs and St Paul’s had won four league titles in a row.

“St Paul’s are next door neighbours to us, our pitches were side by side as we prepared for the final.

“They had beaten us in the league, two or three weeks before that, and everybody was saying St Paul’s would win it.“Championship football, as everybody knows, is a completely different type of football. We knew how to win championship games; we had that mentality – it was basically do or die.”

Armstrong can see the similarities with the current Rossa team, who were heavy underdogs against both Portglenone and Cargin on the way to the decider.

“We went into the Portglenone game as complete underdogs,” he said. “Nobody gave us a chance and I would say Portglenone were probably thinking that they would be going for a championship win overall.”

Armstrong was in Ballymena to see Cargin’s quarter-final win over Creggan. Like many in the shadow of Slemish on a dank Friday night, he was impressed with Cargin.

“People said, you’ll get away with it once, you’ll shock somebody, you’ll never do it again but we did. They were two huge results,” Armstrong added.

“When we won the championship in ‘91 and two years before that, we were complete underdogs then as well. Nobody gave us a chance of winning any championships then.”

Few in Antrim, never mind Ulster, would’ have given Rossa’s current team much hope after Dunloy hammered them by 20-points in the first group game. There were even question marks if they’d get out of the group.

“We learned a lot of lessons from it,” Armstrong pointed out of their change in fortunes.

LAST TIME…Action from Rossa’s win over St Paul’s in the 1991 final

“We’ve improved every game since then. I can see the improvement. That was a big wake-up call.”

Both tactically and defensively, Rossa got to grips with their preparations. Wins over Glenravel and Tír na nÓg set up a quarter-final with Portglenone.

Cargin led the semi-final with three minutes of normal time to play but the steel Rossa lacked in Dunloy was on view this time in the white heat of Corrigan Park.

A well-worked team move, started in defence, ended with Thomas Morgan hitting the net.

“Cormac McGettigan has made a big difference since he came back,” Armstrong points out.

“He won on the dirty ball, came out, lost it then got it again.”

Within seconds Eoghan McMenamin was ferrying the ball upfield to make the goal for Morgan.

Like the men of ’91, the current Rossa team, have developed the grit needed to manoeuvre themselves out of tight corners.

It takes them to within 60 minutes of adding a 17th county title, which would bring them within two of second-placed St Gall’s.

“People in the county would say we’re a hurling club first,” Armstrong adds, referring to having 15 hurling championships.

Beyond Sunday, county finals can inspire a new generation of players. Rossa is no different.

Excitement surrounded a recent Mothers and Others day in Rossa. Talk of the senior men’s team was prominent.

“We have a lot of youngsters who would be up here training week in, week out as well,” he adds.

“We haven’t had that success the football for 35 years but for those young kids to see that happening, it’s going to make a massive difference.

“They are coming along; they’ll be at the final and there is the whole buzz around it.

“They’d be up for the coaching and everything we will have next year. It inspires young kids; there’s something to aim for.”

It inspires the big kids too, like Armstrong and the men of ’91. There is a pride in the progress and that the spirit of never giving in still exists.