Johnston back on form and among friends
It’s one step at a time, though, for Cavan’s Seánie Johnston
IN THE aftermath of last month’s Cavan SFC final, as family and friends flooded onto the field, an emotional Seánie Johnston collected the man-of-the-match award and let his mind drift back 13 years, to his first county title. Nothing is supposed to match the feeling of that first medal, but this came pretty close.
Cavan Gaels hadn’t scaled the summit in three years – almost a famine in terms of their recent hold over Breffni football – and that period was fairly tumultuous in Johnston’s own career.
It was all so much more innocent back in 2001. At 17, Johnston didn’t fully realise the relevance of the Gaels ousting Gowna as top dogs but that championship – the club’s first in 13 years – precipitated a torrent of titles.
Seven more would follow in the next nine years as players and supporters became blasé about success. When Ballinagh shocked Gaels in last year’s final, Johnston viewed the emotion it unleashed with a little envy.
‘To see what it meant to Ballinagh people to win, the celebrations they had was amazing but it was like that for us this year,’ Johnston explains. ‘It was like winning the first county title back in 2001, people running onto the pitch to greet us. When you win so many, it’s easy to take it for granted but you should never do that with county titles, because each one is so special to win.’
It was his ninth county medal and while Johnston won’t say it, he gives the impression that this one tasted a little sweeter. Although his brief sojourn with Kildare ( which included a Championship debut against Cavan in the 2012 qualifiers) ended when he returned to Cavan Gaels last year, Ballinagh denied him the fairytale return.
He’d been hampered by a longstanding ankle problem for most of this season, too, and it wasn’t until the county semi-final that he felt back to something approaching his best. But he gave two superb displays to conclude the year’s football in Cavan, including an inspirational final display against Kingscourt.
IT WAS a t el l i ng reminder what the club, and county, had missed during the brief period when he was away and if he continues that rich vein of form against Slaughtneil in the Ulster club championship this afternoon, it will go some way to erasing any lingering bad taste from the whole Kildare affair. A clamour for his return to the Cavan colours may also arise.
Johnston has scored some wondrous points in a blue shirt but there have been times when, for whatever reason, he didn’t seem to fit in with the county set-up. Even now, he remains evasive when asked if he wants a recall to the Cavan squad.
‘I am just concentrating on getting as far as I can with the club in Ulster. I don’t know about the other stuff, and to be honest, I don’t have an answer for you.’
He’s keen to steer clear of talk about his couple of seasons with the Lilywhites, anxious to draw a line under the episode. It was a difficult time personally but, more so, for his family. ‘The friends I have now were my friends back then and it has nothing to do with how well my football is going. All
I am focused on now is playing for the Gaels.’
Expectation is beginning to grow in Cavan who reaped a fruitful bounty from their sterling work at underage level (their under-21s bid for their fifth Ulster title in-a-row next spring). Finally, they may have the talent to match the ambition of many, Johnston included.
It was that level of desire that helped him stand out on a DCU team with a glittering array of attacking talent that included Bernard Brogan, Donie Shine, David Kelly and Shane O’Rourke. And it seems his own club now has similar drive, something that was evident in their appointment of Peter Canavan (left) as manager at the start of the year.
The Tyrone legend has led them to a county title in his first season and, given the level of drive that defined his own playing career, he is likely to have targeted a run in Ulster.
It’s something that has eluded Johnston and his teammates on the eight previous occasions they have ventured into the province. How- ever the statistics hide some nearmisses. Johnston recalls how they took Crossmaglen to the wire when the Armagh team were in their pomp and, on other occassions, they haven’t been that far away.
WITH Canavan at the helm, they might have the missing link when it comes to success in the province. Johnston says just the mere presence of such an iconic figure has inspired the team this year.
‘He is the best player I have ever seen playing in my lifetime so to have him there in the dressing-room and on the sideline is a bit special. His stature alone means that everyone listens to what he has to say and he has created a real buzz around the club.
‘We have a lot of younger players who would have seen Peter winning the All-Ireland but some of us are old enough to remember when he wasn’t winning All-Irelands, so to have that iconic figure dispensing advice, is brilliant for the club.’
Given he has spent much of the year in a fitness battle, Johnston has special praise for Ciaran Donnelly, who is Canavan’s right-hand man. ‘Ciaran is the best trainer I have ever worked with; he has been a joy to work with.’
Canavan’s own career is a reminder that sometimes the best things come to those who wait, winning two All-Ireland medals in the twilight of his playing days. Johnston turned 30 in August and is just hoping to use the pain and heartbreak of the eight previous Ulster campaigns to guide him through the challenge posed by Slaughtneil.
But even if the season comes to an end in Owenbeg, it has still been a good year for Seánie Johnston. Life is a lot quieter these days than those crazy few months when he was repeatedly splashed across all the newspapers; he is back where he belongs and winning with his own.
‘I am happy to be part of it all, and it is great just to play a part with the club winning another county title. You shouldn’t really take that for granted, if the last few years has taught me anything, it is that. We savoured that title because it could be another five or 10 years before the club wins another one.’