By John Harrington

For years, a gifted generation of Mountbellew-Moylough footballers buckled under a heavy weight of expectation, but they never broke.

The pressure was considerable, because from a young age they were anointed as the generation that would end the club’s long wait for a county senior title thanks to their prolific success at minor and U-21 level.

At times, that was a difficult burden to bear for players like Eoin Finnerty and his team-mates.

“It probably wouldn't have been seen on the outside, but there was pressure,” said Finnerty.

“At Christmas you'd be meeting older club men who'd be asking you were we going to do it this year. And you'd be saying, 'We'll give it a shot, I suppose'.

“Especially after all the losses then, it would build. You didn't want to be seen as losers, not getting over the line.”

The losses Finnerty refers to were the four county Final defeats in six years from 2015 to 2020, including one after a replay (2018).

Three of those defeats were against the great Corofin team, so when they finally defeated the then reigning All-Ireland champions in last year’s County semi-final the expectation was that Mountbellew-Moylough’s time in the sun had finally come.

Not quite. They were subsequently beaten by Moycullen in the 2020 County Final, a defeat that Finnerty counts as the one that stung more than any of the others.

It says something about the character of this Mountbellew-Moylough team that even after that set-back their resolve never wavered.

Another year older and wiser, they finally reached the promised land last weekend when they put their old foes Corofin to the sword in style to win the club’s first county senior title in 35 years.

After such a long wait and so much heartbreak for this generation of players, how did it feel?

“It was probably just relief after the game,” says Finnerty. “Probably a lot of pressure around the parish just to get it finally after 35 years and we'd been in six county finals since and five in the last seven years and lost them all. Some of them hammerings, some of them close.

“Just huge relief, especially after last year's disappointment.

“I don't think there was any turning point, just years building up. Hard work and improving each year. I think we're at the right age now at the moment. All the S&C over the last few years is paying off at moment.

“There’s a big difference between a team of 21 to 18-year-olds and a team of 25 to 21-year-olds. There's a lot of work that goes in and it all adds up. You see the last day some of the shape some of our lads are in has just grown.

“I suppose you're only going to get better when you have more maturity and experience. We've been there so many times and seen all the situations that probably could happen in Galway senior football. I think that's what got us over the line.”

They’ve been floating on air ever since. The players returned to training on Tuesday night and the feel good vibes were through the roof.

“The dressing-room beforehand, the laughing that went on over the last couple of days,” says Finnerty with a grin. “Just the buzz of having a county medal in your pocket going training.

“We did a tour of the parish after the County Final. There were people in the parish I didn't even know existed out with fires.

“Even in the neighbouring parish, we came through Abbey, they had fires out for us. Just past Killererin, they had fires out for us. It's something we'll never see again. If we win another again there won't be this euphoria of the first time for so long.”

A sense of unity comes easily to this Mountbellew-Moylough team. The majority of the panel have played together since underage level and were coached by current team manager, Val Daly, through all the grades.

“Everyone knows each other, grew up together," says Finnerty. "There's three national schools in the parish and everyone goes to them and everyone goes to the same secondary school, Holy Rosary.

“You grow up together, you know each other, you're on nights out with each other. They're your friends outside of football, you hang out with these lads 24/7, you go on holidays with them. So, yeah, there is a great bond within the team.

“We won a county minor in 2014, and 16 players have come through from that panel who play senior football and there were 10 starting the last day. It's like an underage group with a few other lads added in.

“It's probably just a once in a lifetime generation of players who have come together who were all good and loved playing football.”

Mountbellew-Moylough will be warmly fancied to defeat Leitrim champions Sean O’Heslins Ballinamore in the AIB Connacht Senior Football Club Championship on Sunday, but they’re not taking the challenge lightly.

On Firday the panel will sit down for a video session to pick apart Ballinmore’s own famine-ending county final win over Mohill, and Finnerty is very aware that taking on the Leitrim champions in their own back-yard will be no easy task.

He’s excited more than anything else by the challenge of a Connacht campaign, though. Having finally ended their long wait for a Galway title it feels like the reins have been loosened and this Mountbellew-Moylough team is ready to really gallop.

“Yeah, it's confidence. Pure confidence,” says Finnerty. “You go out after winning a county title, it's like you've been there and done that. You believe you can go on further now.

“Especially when you see the likes of Corofin winning All-Ireland titles. And back through the years other Galway clubs being successful in the Connacht and All-Ireland championships.

“Our near neighbours here, Caltra, won an All-Irleand in 2003. Salthill Knocknacarra in 2005, I think. So, yeah, there would be big belief.”