Lohan: We should’ve been awarded ‘98 semi-final

Brian Lohan is adamant Clare should have been awarded victory in their infamous 1998 All-Ireland semi-final replay against Offaly.

Referee Jimmy Cooney blew up for full-time two minutes early with Clare leading by three points at Croke Park. Offaly won the re-match in Thurles.

But Lohan, speaking on the Laochra Gael programme to be screened on TG4 tomorrow evening, is clearly still haunted by the game.

“We were looking like we were going to an All-Ireland final and he blew it up early. He made a mistake. We should have been given that game and we weren’t. I haven’t heard of that happening before or since.”

Former Offaly forward Michael Duignan has mixed emotions about those games. “I’ve great memories from beating them and yet there’s parts of me that would say you feel sorry for Clare the way it panned out because they never came back after ‘98 and won another All-Ireland (until 2013). I’ve certainly felt there was probably another All-Ireland in that team. I think it took an awful lot out of them and left them drained for the next few years.”

Lohan takes umbrage with how Clare’s seasoned campaigners were perceived as they played into the mid-2000s.

“There was a perception that we had miles on the clock whereas someone from another team says they’re heroes that they’re going on so long. But with us there were too many miles on the clock, they should have given it up.”

He also reveals the 2005 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Cork still cuts at him deeply. “We led by five points with 15 minutes to go. When you’re thinking back and having nightmares about any match that was the one that would give you most nightmares because it was there for us. The latter part of my career, anyway, the big ambition was to win the third (All-Ireland) but we never managed to do it.”

Lohan has no regrets about the actions that led to his sending off in the infamous 1998 Munster semi-final replay against Waterford. “I was involved in an incident with Michael White and we were both sent off. I was sent off but I was struck first; I didn’t start it. It’s a poor reflection of you if you are sent off, but I wouldn’t have changed a single thing of what I did that day.”