Bell reflects on year of progress

By Michael McMullan

CROKE Park on All-Ireland final day isn’t often a place for reflection. Not the long-term variety.

In defeat, it’s less likely. In chewing the fat of a gut-wrenching defeat, it’s often deep in any memory bank.

For Ballinderry manager Jarlath Bell, a general story of the Shamrocks’ season can be quickly summated.

“It’s pretty easy to sum up to be honest,” he said in the aftermath of Sunday’s defeat to Crossmolina, a first championship defeat of the season.

There was a Derry final against Faughanvale that needed extra-time and a replay. Sunday was new ground.

“To me it’s one of progress,” said Bell of his team’s season, despite wearing an obvious look of sheer dejection.

A late, late Conor Loftus goal meant it was Crossmolina that added All-Ireland Intermediate to Senior.

“Look, I suppose it has been well enough documented over the last 12 months, about slipping back down into intermediate,” Bell added.

“We’re a very proud club. If it means that there’s been pride restored this year, I think that’s probably the overarching sense.”

He adds references to days when they’ve had to dig deep to find an answer.

“We never give in and we always hung on,” he proudly added. “That’s something that was synonymous with teams whenever I was growing up as well.

“That’s just something that maybe was missing there for a wee while in the club.”

Defeat cuts deep. Bell’s body language says it all, but there is a level of contentment in how their fans watched a group that squeezed every drop out of Sunday’s All-Ireland final. It was nearly enough. Nearly. But it wasn’t.

“100 per cent congratulations to Crossmolina,” he graciously outlined. The first words of an interview that could well have been a victorious one.

“As I said in the build up to the match,” he continued, “the country was going to will them to win the game.

“It’ll be a popular victory under the circumstances, so a hearty congratulations to them.”

When asked about the controversial penalty decision leading to the Crossmolina winner, Bell goes there, but not fully.

Replays show it was a big call. In the raw emotion of defeat, Bell sidesteps the question. Sometimes football doesn’t go for you. And, given Crossmolina’s recent tragedy, maybe it was all written in the stars.

“For ourselves, in terms of losing a match, that’s probably as cruel a way as it goes,” he said.

“You’d probably take a three-, four-, five-point defeat. I suppose, under the circumstances, and the way it finished, it makes it all that wee bit more difficult.

“That’s football, that’s sport, that’s life, that’s the way it goes. From our lads’ point of view, to be three points down and to have pulled themselves back into the game, they showed unbelievable heart, determination and everything that we asked of them at half time.

“I am super proud of the boys, couldn’t ask much more of them but it’s a hard enough one to take now to stage like that.”

It wasn’t just Sunday. “Our games, they’ve been up and down but every single time this year when the chips were down, I could rhyme off numerous games, we continued to pull ourselves back into it.

“That’s exactly what we did (in the final). That highlights the commitment and character of these lads so that’s never going to be in question.”

It was a day when Niall O’Donnell was ruled out after having gone to London for an operation on a Grade 3C hamstring injury.

O’Donnell was on crutches at Croke Park and one of their key championship performers who Paddy Tally is keen to call into the Derry squad.

“He (O’Donnell) was a significant loss,” Bell agreed. “We didn’t want that to cloud preparations and whatever else.

“We’re not going to make excuses. As they say, one swallow never made a summer.”

Bell also paid tribute to Gareth McKinless who played despite a heavily strapped knee injury.

“When the dust settles, we’ll probably reflect on things and maybe look towards the end and maybe see that it was maybe just a case of not closing it out,” he summed up.

“They (Crossmolina) pressed really hard and they made it difficult for us to get out. That’s effectively what won them the game.

“We’ve much to be happy about from these guys but All-Ireland final defeat is not easy.”