Whelan: we played some fantastic football out there

TWENTY minutes after the final whistle and Mickey Whelan’s path from the Vincent’s dressing room through the tunnel is blocked by a posse of journalists interviewing Mossie Quinn.

Most players and managers would either barge their way through or wait for the interview to peter out but instead the 68-year old hoists himself over the seven-foot barrier and bounds into the stand.

Whelan had just overcome a far bigger hurdle in the shape of Crossmaglen, and his exuberance and energy were there to see all afternoon, as he cajoled his team towards a sensational win.