CIARAN’S CUP HALF FULL FOR DECIDER

CIARAN THOMPSON may not have been able to push on that extra step with Donegal this year, but the opportunity is still there with his club.

Just like in 2018, Donegal won the Ulster Championship this year but failed to emerge from the ‘Super 8s’ as a result of losing a winner-takes-all tie with a semi-final spot was at stake.

There are further parallels in that his club, Naomh Conaill, have once again gone on to reach a county final against Gaoth Dobhair, who beat them in last year’s decider and subsequently won the Ulster Championship.

Indeed, the Glenties outfit were also beaten in the previous year’s final by Kilcar and their resilience in reaching a third successive decider is impressive.

“It is never a good place to be when you are losing finals, no matter what it is,” says Thompson (above). “But this is a new year for us and now it is all about putting that right.

“At the start of the year we were big underdogs but it has been the same for the last few years, but we keep coming back. This team is hard to keep down.”

Glenties are bidding for just their fourth ever county title and Thompson has vivid memories of their first success 14 years ago.

“As soon as I can remember, I had a ball in my hand but 2005 is the one which always sticks out. Just being there in the stand and shouting on the team was just unbelievable, beating Eunan’s to win our first county title. “That really set the town into crazy mode and that really set us up because that was a very young team. There was a lot of 19 and 20-year-olds and it was almost unheard of that players that young would win county finals at that time.”

Jim Mcguinness was the brains of the operation back then ahead of becoming one of the most influential figures in Gaelic football in latter years. Thompson’s county career didn’t intersect with Mcguinness’ Donegal tenure, however, and it’s something he regrets.

“I was never under him myself but I have only heard good stories about him. He is an absolute gent. You can tell it from talking to him, you can hear and see his intelligence and guile for the game.

“He was there as player/coach in 2005 and he was back there when we got to a final in 2009, and he played a part in 2010.”