WITH no on-field action and lots of time on our hands to sit back and 
reflect, over the next few weeks I’ll be looking at my time spent 
under various managers. The ups the downs, the ‘what ifs’ and the 
stories that still make me laugh to this day.

My first taste of the inter-county scene was as an 18-year-old back in
1999 when Declan Bonner called me into the senior panel. At that time
I struggled badly with my weight due to my atrocious diet so training
for me was a nightmare and I was cut loose before the serious stuff
started. So my first manager was Mickey Moran.

The Mickey Moran Years
Mickey managed Donegal from 2001 until the end of 2002. In his first
year Donegal went on a run through the Qualifiers creating a serious
buzz in the county.

After the club championship here in 2001 I got the call up to join up
with the panel for the 2002 season. Having been stung before by my
lack of fitness and how I struggled with my diet, I decided things
would be different this time around.

I was never a cocky player but I always believed in my own ability. I
was playing against these lads who were on the team and in my mind I
was good enough to play there. I started to train like an animal on my
own and I hit the beach beside me as often as I could.

Back then nutrition wasn’t as big of a deal as it is now and we had
very little information on it. I knew that the likes of eggs and
potatoes were good for you so, I kid you not, my diet consisted of
scrambled eggs for breakfast, the biggest plate of mashed potatoes and
gravy for dinner and scrambled eggs again that evening. Crazy stuff
but it seemed to work for me as I was in good shape.

Mickey had an excellent team put together. He had Owenie McBride from
my own club, Micheal Oliver McIntyre from Glencolmcille and then he
had the one and only John Morrison in with him as coach. Training was
tough but it was seriously enjoyable as most, if not all, of it was
done with the ball. Mickey and John shared the training and you did
something new every night.

I was enjoying training but when it came to challenge games I was
being left on the bench a lot. We were playing Naomh Conaill Glenties
at home and Owenie McBride told me that Mickey and John were coming to
watch me. John Gildea was the go-to man on the county scene at that
time and he was playing midfield for Naomh Conaill Glenties and I knew
he was one of Mickey’s main men. Before the game I asked our club
manager if I could move from wing-back to midfield for that game to
mark John. From the first whistle we tore into each other, it was like
a war zone. John was one tough customer and I think he was taken aback
by this young lad, fresh to the county scene who wanted to go toe-to-
toe with him.

I scored three from play that day and after that game John and myself
became good friends and he would be one of the lads who I would look
up to over the next few years.

It was my message to Mickey to say that if that’s your best man then
I’m up to the task. After that game I got game-time in the league and
held onto my number seven jersey from then on.

I really admired Mickey as a person he was an excellent father figure
to the young lads on the squad and his training methods were second to
none. John Morrison was also someone I also took to and I kept in
contact with John up to his passing last year. He helped me in so many
ways and before any big game I would always call him for advice.

Life however was never all plain sailing during Mickey’s time as
unfortunately for him that was right bang in the middle of our lost
days.

We traveled to play Galway for a friendly to open a pitch as part of
our championship preparations. Galway were reigning All-Ireland
champions so it was seen as a perfect game for us to test ourselves.

We arrived at the hotel and after dinner someone suggested we all go
for a light stroll before bed. We walked down the road in Oughterard,
a small village, and we saw an old thatch pub so we said we would go
in for a walk.

In we go and there is a party going on with a DJ playing in the
corner. One thing led to another and before we knew it we all had a
pint in our hands.  After about an hour Mickey sent Liam McElhinney
down to see where we had gone but by then it was a struggle to get
lads out. Eventually after 1am he managed to get the lads gathered up
but my roommate Séimí Friel and myself escaped their grasp and sneaked
off into the Galway night. At around 6am myself and Séimí made our way
back to the hotel but it was locked so we noticed a window open and in
we went.

The next morning Mickey was fuming that we all had let him down, very
little was said as we boarded the bus for the game. We ended up
running Galway ragged that day with everyone playing out of their
skin. I think it was after half-time before I sobered up and realised
where I was! After the game we spoke as a squad and decided to lay
down some ground rules. We went on a great run that year where we lost
to Dublin in the quarter-final after a replay.

After my first full season I was awarded my first All-Star and I will
be forever grateful to Mickey for giving me the opportunity to play.
After that year Mickey left, and as I say our off-field discipline was
not good and that probably played a part.

Mickey and John knew that the raw talent was there and I think that’s
what disappointed them the most, as we could and should have done so
much more during their time with us.

Mickey and John left a lasting impression on Donegal football. We
definitely took a few steps forward and although there would be more
discipline issues to follow, players started to take their football a lot more seriously.

Next week I’ll look back in our time spent under the Godfather of
football Brian McEniff. Strap yourself in, this one gets bumpy!
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