Maghera spirit key to booking Hogan final spot says McAteer

By Michael McMullan

WILLIE McAteer hailed the resilience of his St Patrick’s, Maghera team after they booked a spot in the Hogan Cup final later this month.

Despite being hit for an early Ben Murphy goal, McAteer – who manages the team with Sean Marty Lockhart and Chrissy McKaigue – was happy with how they controlled Saturday’s win over Mercy Mounthawk.

It maintained Maghera’s impressive record of not having lost a Hogan Cup semi-final since 1985.

They take on St Colman’s, Claremorris in the Croke Park decider and McAteer stresses his team must be “100 per cent on it” against a team backboned by former Mayo minors.

Tom Hession was named on last season’s Electric Ireland Minor Team of the Season alongside Ben Murphy and St Mary’s, Magherafelt trio of Luke Grant, James Sargent and Eamon Young.

Gabhan McIvor’s first point settled Maghera after Murphy’s early goal but they needed Pádraig Haran to clear a ball off the line before they got a full grip of the game.

“We just had that resilience again, that togetherness,” said McAteer, pointing to how the rest of the Maghera team helped skipper Cahal McKaigue close down the threat of Murphy running in the central channel.

“We didn’t panic. The four in the half-back line were massive,” McAteer added.

“Darragh Doherty is a real good player, Haran is a cracker and Gabhan McIvor has just come of age really.”

McAteer credits Chrissy McKaigue for McIvor’s development and also highlighted the busy Darragh O’Neill in their half-back region.

“Darragh is just class,” he said. “Those four across our half-back line, they can all play football, yet they’re all workers and will defend for you as well.

“That was probably the most pleasing thing, they just worked as normal. Even when they went at us early, nobody panicked.”

They also had Darach McGonagle pulling the strings and fingers are crossed he is fully fit to take the field at Croke Park.

“Cormac’s just Cormac,” McAteer said of goalscorer Cormac Óg McCloskey. “He doesn’t need a pile of chances before he gets you 1-2. He’s playing really well, for a fella that missed 18 months, he’s only now coming back to what he should be at.”

It was an eventful Saturday. Earlier in the day, the junior camogie team made history with a first All-Ireland title.

McAteer was keeping an eye on the score and was able to filter the news to the footballers before they dipped into the zone for their own game. It was a welcome boost.

“I thought, you know what, there’s no harm for the boys to hear this,” he said.

“You’re beating a Kilkenny school in the camogie and you’re beating a Kerry school in the football.

“It’s not bad, is it? It does give you an all-round belief. As they say, a rising tide lifts all boats.”

Before a ball was kicked this year, it was a Maghera team not overly fancied. Game by game, they morphed into a formidable team and came through some tight encounters.

Now, there is a Hogan title up for grabs but McAteer is fully aware of what is needed on the final day of the season.

“The worst thing for our group would be taking our eyes off the ball at all,” he said.

“We can’t afford to not be 100 per cent, it’s just the DNA of this team. If we’re below that, we could find ourselves in big bother.”