The Friday Interview: Stephen King
August 02, 2013
Stephen King, Damien O'Reilly and Fintan Cahill celebrate Cavan's Ulster SFC final wi in 1997 © Billy Stickland/INPHO
Still basking in the warm afterglow of a first Ulster title since 1969, the Cavan supporters transformed GAA headquarters into a sea of blue for the clash with the Kingdom, who were then just coming out of an 11-year slumber. Managed by Donegal legend Martin McHugh, Cavan led at half-time, but were eventually beaten with Mike Frank Russell's late goal handing the All-Ireland champions-elect a somewhat flattering 1-17 to 1-10 victory.
"The game was still in the melting point before they got that goal," Cavan hero King ruefully remembers.
"We were really disappointed - gutted - to lose that game. Moral victories were no good to us. Kerry were only coming at the time and we felt we could take them. We felt we had the experience and strength in depth to go on and contest an All-Ireland final.
"What made it especially disappointing was the realisation that we had missed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Ulster championship was as hard to win then as it is now and it took a superhuman effort from us to get over the line. Unlike now, there was no backdoor if you lost which meant you only got one crack at winning a provincial or All-Ireland title.
"We would love to have had a shot at the All-Ireland, but it wasn't to be. There were a few of us coming towards the end of our careers, and it would have been a nice way to bow out."
There is a rich history between Cavan and Kerry, and later in 1997, they met again in Randall's Island, New York in a game which marked the 50th anniversary of the famous Polo Grounds All-Ireland final of 1947 between the counties.
But enough of the nostalgia and back to Sunday's big game. While accepting that Cavan are rank outsiders, Stephen insists they have no intention of making up the numbers.
"Kerry will be a huge challenge for them," acknowledges the former midfielder, whose inter-county career spanned a remarkable 19 years (1980-'99).
"They have been Gaelic football's greatest exponents over many years and I, like most people, would have huge admiration for them and the way they have always played the game. They have fantastic footballers like the 'Gooch' and (Kieran) Donaghy, who are as good as any we've seen over the past 20 years.
"Having said that, if there is to be an upset in one of this weekend's All-Ireland quarter-finals, why not that be in the Cavan/Kerry game? This Cavan team has serious momentum behind them and Kerry aren't going to get anything easy against them.
"Croke Park isn't going to be new to the Cavan players after the London game last Saturday and they can go out and express themselves. If they can stay with Kerry into the second half, they will have a great chance. A good start is vital because it would put Kerry on the back-foot…"
Of the eight teams left in the race for Sam, Cavan are the only one with five championship victories under their belt. Along with neighbours Monaghan, they are also the surprise packets, having plied their trade in Division 3 of the Allianz League last spring. They defeated Armagh and Fermanagh in the Ulster SFC before losing the semi-final to Monaghan by a point.
Since then, Terry Hyland's young side has regrouped to register backdoor wins over Fermanagh, Derry (after extra-time) and London (their first in Croke Park since 1952).
"The interest in this team has been building steadily since they beat Armagh in their first game," the Killeshandra clubman explains.
"There was a huge turnout for the London game and I reckon there will be 20,000-plus Cavan supporters in Croke Park for this one. The buzz around the county is amazing - it's just like 1997 all over again. If they get a smell of any kind of success, the Cavan supporters will come out and get behind the team.
"There's an old saying that Cavan people only talk about two things - one is the weather and the other is football!" he laughs.
Stephen continues: "I haven't been surprised by how well this team has done. It was no surprise to me when they beat Armagh in Breffni Park the first day. Armagh are a team in transition and they had only just got their Crossmaglen players back. Cavan had been unlucky with a few of their results in the league, but they were more settled than Armagh and they showed that on the day. Unfortunately, I don't think they got the credit they deserved for winning that game.
"I was more worried about Fermanagh because of the local derby element. Again, they got over that one. And even though they didn't deserve to beat Monaghan in the Ulster semi-final, they would have gotten a draw out of it but for a poor refereeing decision at the end.
"To be fair to Monaghan, they showed what a good team they are by going on to beat Donegal in the final. Their success just goes to show how unpredictable the Ulster championship is. It's that unpredictability that makes it so special.
"Since the Monaghan game, Cavan have had a great run in the qualifiers. They've put in the work and beaten what's being put in front of them. It's fantastic to be winning games. It's worth more than any amount of training sessions. Regardless of what happens against Kerry, huge progress has been made and 2013 will go down as a successful year."
King has been particularly impressed by the defensive side of Cavan's game, noting: "With the exception of the Derry game, which went to extra-time, they've given very few scores away. When you can do that, you are always in with a shout."
Of course, the Breffni County's re-emergence this summer hasn't come about accident. They are now - perhaps a year or two sooner than expected - reaping the benefits of a successful underage policy which has seen them dominate the Ulster U21FC in recent seasons.
"The hard work is paying off," Stephen agrees.
"We've won the last three Ulster U21 titles, contested an All-Ireland U21 final in 2011 as well as three All-Ireland semi-finals and numerous other Ulster finals in the grade. We also won an Ulster minor title in 2011 with Dermot McCabe as manager.
"Dermot works as a games and development officer with the county board and it's great to have someone of his calibre involved. He had a brilliant playing career and still had a lot to offer Cavan football. It's people like him who have put in the work behind the scenes which we are seeing the fruits of now.
"Cavan would have been looking at what Tyrone and other counties were doing at underage level and took a template from that. But you still needed good young talent to work with and luckily we've had that in the county over the past 10 years or so."
Skippering the Breffni Blues to their first Anglo-Celt Cup triumph in 28 years at Derry's expense a decade-and-a-half ago was the obvious highlight of Stephen's long inter-county career. It was no more than he deserved after losing Ulster finals in 1983 and '96. The only other honours he won with Cavan were National League Division 2 and McKenna Cup medals in 1989.
The midfield powerhouse garnered a Railway Cup medal with Ulster in 1984 and represented Ireland in the Compromise Rules series against Australia in 1987. Retired from club football since 2001, he is currently managing his beloved Killeshandra who he guided to a county JFC success in 2007. Tweet
