Glen powerhouse midfielder Conor Glass said that last year's match-losing miss against Kilmacud Crokes was very much on his mind as he blasted home the goal that kickstarted the Derry side’s revival in Sunday’s All-Ireland final win over St Brigid’s at Croke Park.
While last year’s final discourse was dominated by Crokes having an extra player on the field as Glen searched for an equaliser, it was somewhat overlooked that Glass had the chance to win it in the final minute of additional time only to see his side-footed effort along the ground brilliantly pushed past the post by Conor Ferris.
Twelve months on and with the Ulster champions floundering, Glass found himself presented with a goal chance with St Brigid’s goalkeeper Cormac Sheehy was out of position – this time there would be no miss as he drilled home from all of 20 metres.
It was the fairy-tale finish for Glass, who gave up a career in the AFL to help Glen in their pursuit in glory, arriving back in Maghera in October 2020, the same month that the club appointed Malachy O’Rourke.
"They had a free kick on the 13 [metre line], I think it was, and we put the full press on, we were a man down so we had to go after it," Glass told RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport.
"I pushed up on the goalkeeper so when we did get that turnover I was free as the 'keeper was going back. Conleith [McGuckian] found me with a good pass.
"Here look, I had an opportunity to win it last year and the Kilmacud 'keeper was able to get down on the ground and save it, so I wasn’t going to make that mistake again today."
Asked if the miss on his mind as he lined up his rocket into the David Stand goals, the Maghera man said: "Yes, 100%.
"As I said leading up to this game, it has been on my mind, 100%. I just put my foot through it and left nothing out there. If it went in, it went in. If it was saved, at least I went for it.
"Those are the sort of moments that are going to stand to you. I could have trusted the rest of the boys to do it as well and I was just lucky enough to be the one with the ball."
Glass, who produced a stunning second-half performance, dropped to the Croke Park turf and burst into tears when the full-time whistle blew to confirm that they would be the fourth club from the Oakleaf County to lift the Andy Merrigan Cup, and the first since Ballinderry in 2002.
For the Derry star, the fact that they won having played so poorly was evidence of the character present in O’Rourke’s squad.
"These are the feelings you absolutely love.
"That game was chaotic from the first minute to the 65th minute. Brigid’s could have easily scored that last point, he [Shane Cunnane] wasn’t far away.
"We had probably our worst performance today but it showed the character in this team to [never] say die. We played our asses off there until the 65th minute and we’re All-Ireland champions now."
His midfield partner in crime Emmett Bradley – who also previously headed to Melbourne for an AFL combine - said that he was still struggling to find the words to describe the finale that saw Glen come from four points down late on to win on a 2-10 to 1-12 scoreline.
The Watty Graham’s only reached their first-ever county final in 2019 and claimed their first title the next season. Since then, only Kilmacud [2022 All-Ireland final] and Kilcoo [2021 Ulster semi-final] have beaten them in championship football, the latter after extra-time.
"It’s such a shock, we came here to perform and the way that game panned out St Brigid’s, credit to them, they put in some performance," the Maghera man said, speaking on Morning Ireland.
"But one thing that has been a hallmark of our team over the last three years is that we’re never beaten until the final whistle.
"For this club to be able to do this from where we came from, winning our first county championship three years ago, it's just the stuff of dreams."
"To stay in that game, to keep chipping away at the lead. We had kicked a couple of wides but just to be able to stay in that game, to keep the cool heads and for Conor to make that play at the end, what a play to swing the momentum and to be able to just get us right back into it.
"After that we really just kicked on and we were able to get the next score. That’s what we needed to ignite it and thankfully it did.
"Looking around me here, it’s something we dreamed of from as long as I’ve ever been playing football. For this club to be able to do this from where we came from, winning our first county championship three years ago, it’s just the stuff of dreams."
Watch Kerry v Derry in the Allianz Football League on Saturday from 5pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to updates on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch highlights on Allianz League Sunday on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 9.30pm, follow a live blog every Sunday afternoon on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
