It’s coming up to the 25th anniversary of Down’s All-Ireland Minor final win of 1999, and Mark Doran opens up on his memories of the year to Niall Gartland.

SLEACHT Néill boss Mark Doran hadn’t clocked that it’s coming up to the 25th anniversary of Down’s 1999 All-Ireland minor win.

The former Down defender has been mulling over their looming championship campaign and a particularly tricky group – Glen (gulp), Division One champions Kilrea, Bellaghy, Dungiven and Swatragh lay in wait, but he’s still happy to talk at length about Down’s All-Ireland minor winning campaign a full quarter of a century ago.

Their memorable run to the Tom Markham Cup climaxed in a 1-14 to 0-14 victory over pre-match favourites Mayo on All-Ireland final day, the game’s defining score resulting from an unstoppable five-man move featuring Louis Sloan, Ronan Sexton, Michael Walsh and left half-forward Ronan Murtagh whose long ball was brilliantly fielded by a certain Benny Coulter before he dispatched a low shot past the Mayo goalkeeper.

It wasn’t always straightforward – they needed replays to see off Donegal in the Ulster final and Dublin in the last four – but that’s a testament to the quality of opposition as much as anything else (Stephen Cluxton, Alan Brogan, Colm McFadden et al…).

Doran, who says ‘his whole life revolved around football’, was optimistic about their chances heading into the 1999 season. They were knocked out of the previous year’s championship by a legendary Tyrone team after a replay, and with an influx of vaunted Mayobridge players graduating to the minor ranks in 1999, Doran knew they were onto a good thing.

“The year before we were a good few points up against Tyrone in Healy Park with about ten minutes left, but Stephen O’Neill scored one of the best goals I’ve ever seen, he took off from about the 50-metre line and then Enda McGinley scored an equaliser in injury time.

“They beat us in Newry in the replay and the feeling heading into that game was that we’d missed the boat, but I couldn’t wait for next year as I knew we weren’t far away.

“Mayobridge had a really good batch of players coming through, the likes of Benny Coulter, Ronan Sexton and Michael Walsh, so I knew we’d have a brave squad.

“We actually lost our first two league games in 1999 but we didn’t lose a single game after the St Colman’s lads returned. Our captain Liam Doyle and Brendan Kearney had won the Hogan Cup in 1998, they were brilliant players.”

A full dozen of the 1999 minor panel would graduate to the senior ranks, with varying degrees of success. Coulter, for example, retired as Ulster’s leading goal-scorer of all time, and he was touted for stardom from a very young age.

Longstone clubman Doran said: “I remember when Benny was about 15, Mayobridge Thirds beat Longstone Seconds in the semi-final of the championship and he was the best player on the field, he destroyed everyone.

“On Down u-14 Development squads, he was actually sub goalkeeper for us, but in the space of 13 or 14 months he developed into a superstar.

“We were very lucky to have him and Liam Doyle in our ranks, I’ve never seen two players who could hang in the air like them. Liam was 18 and our captain, but he played like a 26 or 27 year old, he had that calmness about him.”

Moreover, manager Gerry Dougherty was determined to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to reach the pinnacle in 1999. They had talented players in every line, but the hard work needed to be done and they certainly didn’t cut any corners in that respect.

“I remember Gerry telling us 1999 would be his last year managing the minors and that he was going to leave no stone unturned. We had challenge games every Saturday, we’d have got on the bus in the morning and wouldn’t have known where we were going or who we’d be playing.

“We travelled to Tipperary, we travelled to Roscommon, we travelled everywhere. I asked Gerry about it later on and he said he wanted to bring the group closer together.

“He also trained us for two weeks in a place called Murlough Beach in Newcastle. I’d say it nearly killed us, there were two solid weeks of it. I remember John Clarke fainting but it brought us closer together. That bond is still there and I’d think nothing of picking up the phone to the lads for a chat, I’m still very friendly with the likes of John, Brendan Clarke, Rony Murtagh and Liam Doyle.”

Down swatted aside Antrim in the first round of Ulster, setting up a semi-final showdown against Tyrone. The Red Hands could still call upon some seriously talented individuals – Owen Mulligan, McGinley and Martin Penrose the most prominent – but they couldn’t match what Down had to offer.

“I remember that game very well. Ambrose Rogers was a cousin of mine and he died a week or two before the Tyrone game. His wife always travelled with my mum and dad to games, so it was a hard loss, he was only 39.

“Gerry Dougherty asked me if I’d mind if he mentioned Ambrose in the team talk and I said, ‘you do whatever you need to do’.

“It was an emotional occasion but we beat them convincingly enough. They were All-Ireland champions and still had a serious team so that was a good lift to us.”

If anything, Down were overconfident heading into their Ulster final joust with Donegal, whom they had recent memories of trouncing in a challenge match. They could only manage a draw on their first day out before finishing the job in the replay on a scoreline of 2-7 to 0-9.

“We were very lucky to get the draw the first day out, we thought it was just a matter of turning up, we’d beaten them by 18 or 19 points in a challenge game.

“What we know now is that they’d a really good team. Kevin Cassidy was corner-forward. Colm McFadden was only 16, I started at wing half-back and after 20 minutes I was moved back to mark Colm because he was doing damage.

“We got the better of them in the replay the following Sunday in Clones and we’d a great time celebrating that victory, it was Down’s first Ulster minor title since 1986.”

Standing in Down’s way of a place in the All-Ireland final was a Dublin team that could call upon Cluxton and Brogan. Again, they needed two games to advance but it didn’t do them any harm in the long run against a Mayo side that demolished Cork in their own semi-final.

Doran said: “We probably should’ve beat them on the first day out, I remember Alan Brogan scored a late goal from wing half-back and then they got the equaliser.

“We were five minutes away from an All-Ireland final but let it slip. In the replay we got our act together by three or four points.

“Mayo absolutely tanked Cork in their semi-final, they’d a good team with the likes of Alan and Gary Dillon and James Gill, but it was probably the worst thing that could’ve happened to them.

“Everyone was talking about this super Mayo team and their great forwards, and to be fair to our management team, we did serious work on them for two or three weeks and it paid off in the final.”

While it wasn’t by any means one-way traffic in the final, Down produced a composed and mature performance on the big day to land a three-point victory, and they celebrated accordingly.

“It was a really mature team for some reason. We were all 17 or 18 years of age but when you talked and played with the lads, you’d have thought they were 24 or 25.

“I remember the celebrations, the lap of honour before the Cork and Meath senior game, collecting the Cup in the Hogan Stand, and having friends and family in the changing room.

“We’d a really good night afterwards and I remember on the Monday, we brought a double decker bus into Castlewellan, where our manager was from. Then we were brought into Liatroim, Liam Doyle’s club.

“It was the best time of your life and went on for three or four days. I’d look back on that team now, there were maybe 35 lads in the team and I’m still really good friends with about 25 of them.”

The scene, in theory, was set. This was a special minor team and they could lead the renaissance of Down football at senior level. But, it’s not unfair to say, that’s not how it worked out. Down were in the doldrums at the time, and throwing the bulk of that minor team into the deep end with scant regard to their development didn’t pay off in the long run.

“The big regret is that we didn’t kick on. Ten of us, including myself, were fast-tracked into the senior team and it mucked us up at u-21 level.

“We were nowhere near ready for it. I ended up staying the summer in Carlow and left the senior panel. The Down County Board probably should’ve intervened and said ‘look, these boys need to concentrate on the u-21s.’ At that time, Down put the cart before the horse, and throwing 10 boys of 18 years of age was never going to work. All of us were happy to go into the senior team and when I look back now, there’s a big tinge of regret that we weren’t able to have a proper go at it at u-21.”