By 1994, the shine of Down’s remarkable achievement in the 1991 All-Ireland had begun to fade. That victory epitomised a fairy-tale win, with a seemingly unassuming team rising from obscurity to snatch the title. Their triumph in ’91 halt Meath’s dominance, marking the first All-Ireland in over two decades that did not go to Meath or Leinster.
However, Down’s glory didn’t wane gradually. The subsequent year saw Derry, the league winners, ending their rule. In May of the next year, Derry trounced them in Newry by an 11-point margin en route to their 1993 All-Ireland conquest.
Peter McGrath, the manager remembers, as understood from Ulster’s two-year cycle, they had to face Derry again a year later after their 11-point loss in ’93, this time against the reigning All-Ireland champions. This task seemed daunting to many.
One instance of this can be seen in James McCartan, a seasoned player who had bagged an All-Star award in his debut year, 1990. Looking back at those moments 30 years ago, he recounts how high the stakes were. Although he was only 23 at the time, the match felt like a do-or-die situation.
Contrastingly, new members of the team like Ciarán McCabe, were less overwhelmed. Having taken the sidelines that day, he didn’t feel the weight of the previous losses to Derry.
In the context of 1994, the All-Ireland championship was considered a knockout tournament. A single loss meant an end to summer ambitions. McGrath emphasises, “There were no qualifiers, no group stages. You enter Celtic Park for your first championship match, and Derry entered as champions but left empty-handed.”
Such opportunities afforded by qualifiers to provincial losing teams were absent back then. However, McCartan remains sceptical of their value. When asked how many All-Ireland titles, would Down have won with qualifiers in the ‘90s, his response was – “Possibly none!”
For that match against Derry, Down had employed an unconventional approach for that time – a weekend away. Ciarán McCabe explains this was due to their association with the De La Salle order.
McGrath recalls his time at Red High (St Patrick’s) in Downpatrick, where he was taught by the late trainer of Down, Pat O’Hare. They would often escape to a substantial monastery-like facility in Waterfoot, where they could play football.
McGrath was highly optimistic and felt an overwhelming sense of confidence when he was on his way to Celtic Park. He clearly remembers he was certain of their victory, not something he realised in retrospect.
The match was fast-paced and action-packed with a focus on progressing the ball. With today’s perspective, it might look frenzied and disorganised, but the thrill of constantly pushing the ball forward and the ensuing clashes between the attack and defence were palpable.
Recalling the match, McGrath says,”It was a tight competition, where we saw ourselves ahead by two points at half-time (0-10 to 0-8).” Many hailed it as a classic match, a sentiment McGrath agrees with. The first half had Derry scoring a goal wherein Fergal McCusker somehow managed to get the ball into the net through a shot that deflected in mid-air.
The next pivotal moment which is widely regarded as having had a significant impact on the game’s result was when the score stood at 0-12 to 1-11. The importance of the next score couldn’t be overstated. Kane then got hold of a ball on the endline, kicked it forward to Gregory McCartan who then kicked it long into Derry’s 45. This is when James, sharing Gregory’s surname, took the ball on the right, deflected Karl Diamond while also avoiding the gaze of Kieran McKeever before kicking it off his right foot.
The commentator Jimmy Smyth foresaw the crowd’s reaction, saying if the next ball goes over, there will be an explosion of joy at Celtic Park.
McGrath replayed that moment, saying they were two points in lead and the subsequent score would indeed be a game-changer. He added, “James McCartan made a solo run in the face of multiple interruptions and was able to get off a kick and score a goal. For us, that was like a breath of fresh air and it left the game wide open once again.”
For McCartan, that was just another day at work where he was solely focused on taking the ball, marching at the defender, and perhaps even taking a few more steps than allowed.
The game lulled back into a precarious balance. McCabe joined the chaotic scene with only 10 minutes remaining on the clock and in just four minutes he delivered a game-changing upset.
His reflection on the event is both humble and candid: “People were expecting me to take advantage of a chance but I have to admit, tactical plays were not a rule of thumb during those times. Greg managed to wind the ball over my head so instinctively I followed it, essentially for support. Mickey read the play and deftly passed it to me. I was then running at full speed towards the goal. It was the ideal display of Gaelic football.
“All my reactions were on autopilot after that. That’s one thing I was capable of doing efficiently – putting the game to bed.”
The particular match has etched itself into the annals of football history, being brought up time and again in discussions characterising the greatest football battles ever played.
Both teams faced their fair share of repercussions. The victory uplifted Down, initiating their journey to clinch the Ulster title – which they managed to win for the last time – and the much-celebrated All-Ireland championship. The county made it to its last final under McCartan’s guidance 16 years later, where they suffered a narrow defeat to Cork.
On the other hand, the Derry team harnesses their loss as a chance to address grievances with their manager, Eamonn Coleman, who was ousted, prompting an uprising from the players. However, he never made a comeback.
This stirring match holds its place in every mention of the best ever football matches played, even though as McCartan asserts, its significance can somewhat go unnoticed by the younger crowd.
“When all the archival matches were being aired during the pandemic, most of the younger viewers found it hard to comprehend the hype surrounding the 1994 match. All they saw was a brawl for winning the ball, with players kicking it as far away as possible.
“They felt the game lacked strategy. The inexperienced viewers were left bewildered and puzzled at what they were witnessing, insisting it wasn’t football, just players recklessly squandering possession. Nonetheless, I console myself that it remains a standout match! But it’s clear that opinions vary across different generations.”