Seventh heaven the goal for Corrigan

For many, the hunger and drive would be gone after such a long stint at the helm, but not Corrigan. The Kinawley native and former Fermanagh boss relishes each season in what he describes as a ‘special competition’.

And with a seventh MacRory Cup final on the horizon, he is eager to see another St Michael’s team get their hands on that famous cup.

So, why does he keep going back for more?

“The MacRory Cup is a special competition and I suppose the thing about it is that it is a new group every year. It is not a case of being with the same team, it is a new group and a new challenge and the players who come in in September bring a massive energy to it because it is their big year and what happened last year doesn’t count. You feed off that and you realise as well that the competition means so much to them,” he said.

Corrigan has enjoyed plenty of good days in the MacRory Cup but for him it is about putting that quickly behind him and moving on to the next one.

“You don’t look at the past ones, the only one that counts is the present and it is just brilliant to be in the final. This particular group of players have worked tremendously hard, they have made sacrifices right from September and deservedly earned the right to be in the final and now that they are there they will certainly be looking to perform to their very best and that is what it is going to take against Omagh,” he added.

St Michael’s sealed their place in the final with a win over a heavily fancied Maghera side in Loughmacrory and although Corrigan allowed the players to savour the win, he soon had them refocused on the final and lifting their performance even higher.

“I think we were helped that there was a three week break between the semi-final and the final, they stayed on the high for a few days after the Maghera game but now we are well focused on this massive challenge that is going to be presented by Omagh.

“Obviously, we will have taken great confidence from our victories over Abbey and Maghera and the confidence and the momentum that comes from that cannot be understated.

“The boys will now be looking to take their performance levels to the next step. It is not a case of sitting back and being happy with our lot, every player is looking to raise the bar,” he added.

And he knows that it is going to take the biggest performance yet if St Michael’s are to get the better of an Omagh team, under the management of St Michael’s past pupil Kieran Donnelly, who have been unbeaten all season. Indeed, St Michael’s suffered at the hands of Omagh in the McCormack Cup semi-final when they got hit for five goals, and Corrigan knows the areas they must do better in from that meeting.

“Omagh are a very slick footballing side. Kieran and Noel Donnelly have them very well coached. I watched them against Armagh in the replay and it looked as if Armagh were going really well against them for the opening 15 minutes but then they just opened up and a bit like they did to us in the McCormack Cup semi-final, they were razor sharp and when they get the goal opportunities they are very clinical.

“It is a big quality in their side and we will certainly be hoping to have it tighter at the back than we did in the McCormack Cup and if we can get chances up the other side then hopefully we can be more clinical than we were in Trillick.

“It is fairly simple, it is keeping it far tighter at the back and being a little bit more clinical ourselves up front,” he said.

The St Michael’s coach believes though that his side are in a better position now than when they two met in that league semi-final.

“We have been well warned but we feel that we are in a better place now than we were in early January or even three weeks ago. We have taken lessons from each game and we want to be the better for them. I feel that we will be better and stronger in this game than any game in the past,” he commented.

The midfield area as always is going to be crucial in deciding the outcome of Monday’s final and Dom feels it is an area that he is strong in.

We are very lucky to have a very strong midfield pairing in Brandon and Joe, two massive midfielders. They really took the Maghera game by the scruff of the neck in the second half especially and Maghera found it difficult to create the amount of chances they did in the first half when we didn’t exert that same control. Midfield is going to be a key area and we are going to look to get plenty of help in their for Brandon and Joe to ensure that we get a good amount of possession.”

And he states that if they can get a good supply into their attack then St Michael’s have the forwards to give Omagh serious trouble.

“I know that the Omagh forwards are well regarded but we would be very happy with our own forwards. We feel we have real quality in our forward line and it is about us getting ball into these lads. If we do that we can do as much damage as any other forward line,” he explained.

With the St Michael’s boss a veteran of the big MacRory occasion, what advice will he be offering his players before they go out on the pitch on Monday?

“The thing that I would be saying to them is to focus on the performance and if the performance is right we will enjoy it.

“We cannot allow the occasion to get to us, we have to realise that for the spectators and the supporters the whole occasion is brilliant but for us it is about performing. It is about focusing on our jobs, each player has their own job to do and the team knows what is ahead of them.

“The other things I would always be saying to them is that we want you to go out and express yourselves. We don’t want them to be in their shell, we want them to out on the big stage and let that top quality performance flow out on the day.

“I don’t believe in putting shackles on them or especially putting them under too much pressure. We have to realise that they are only 17 and 18 year olds and it is a massive occasion for them.

“The advice I would be giving them is to get yourself into game early and focus on the now and don’t be looking too far ahead.,” he said.

If St Michael’s can go on and lift the cup on Monday afternoon, Corrigan knows just how big a thing it would be for the school.

“Any time a MacRory Cup comes up to St Michael’s it is special and for this group of players it would be fantastic if they could win it.

“The present generation of pupils in St Michael’s haven’t had a MacRory Cup in here, or even been to a final, so we realise we would be in a very privileged position if we could land the big prize and we will be doing everything in our power to ensure that the silverware will be back up here,” he said.

Indeed, if results go the right way, it could be an unforgettable weekend for Fermanagh football.

“There is a great buzz around the county at the minute and if Fermanagh could get to Division One and St Michael’s win a MacRory Cup in the one weekend, they wouldn’t come much better than that,” smiled Corrigan.