Forester hoping Steelstown can end waiting game in Intermediate Championship final

In 2010, 20-year-old Neil Forester consoled himself in the aftermath of a heartbreaking Intermediate Championship final defeat to Castledawson by telling himself there would be other chances to win with his beloved Brian Ogs.

Ten years on, there have been chances, but Forester is still waiting.

On Sunday in Bellaghy, opportunity knocks once more. The heady optimism has been replaced by a realism that championship finals are the exception rather than the rule but Forester’s desire to finally know those seconds after a referee’s whistle declares you champions burns brighter than ever.

“At this point, and I think a lot of the older boys are the same, we don’t fear losing any more,” explained Forester, “We’ve been there and know how it feels so it’s no longer a fear of losing which we might have had in some of the other games. Now all that’s left is that determination to try and get it done. I want to experience how it feels. I am no longer afraid of losing but I’m determined to do all I can to win.”

Paddy Campbell’s 2010 vintage was backboned by the likes of Paul O’Hea, Aidan Cleary, Tony Ling, Gary Cunningham and current senior manager, Eamon Gibson, and it still under pins the present squad. Keeper Marty Dunne, Mickey McKinney, Darren McDaid, Kevin Lindsay, Ryan Devine, Mark Foley and the recently returned Stephen Cleary have all given sterling service to Steelstown but, like Forester, they remain empty handed in terms of championship medals at senior level.

Twice losing out to Castledawson by a point in Intermediate finals (2010 & 2016), defeat to Greenlough in the 2015 semi-final, and a junior final defeat during their rapid rise through the Derry divisions have all left their scars.

“2010 was my first final at senior level,” adds Forester. “A lot of us were still Under 21, but it was a very frustrating game. You do tend to think finals will just arrive every other season. At that stage we were playing in Under 21 finals as well and even at minor level we had been getting to All County finals so you start to believe those days are all part of it.

“I suppose we thought we’d just push on and get our championship victory but football doesn’t work like that. It didn’t come in 2010 when we lost by a point, we reached senior football through the promotion play-off so we have managed to avoid winning silverware one way or another.

“We have knocked on the door for so long and you have to remind the young lads, the build up to any final is exciting, there are lots of distractions but try to enjoy it as much as you can because you’re never guaranteed it in football, especially for a player at my age.

“For example, this will be Marty’s (Dunne) fourth county final. To try and win it for boys who have been there so long - and you can say about deserving it all you want, you have to earn it on the day - but boys like that who have given so much to the club, you want to pay them back for everything they have given but no one hands you anything for free.”

It would be hard to find even an opponent with a bad word to say about Forester. A dyed in the wool Gael with the sort of determined but sunny disposition critical in any dressing room, Forester’s quest for the elusive medal has taken him from rising star, learning from the likes of Campbell and O’Hea in 2010, to experienced campaigner and steadying influence for the new generation like Ben McCarron, Eoghan Concannon, Eoghan Bradley, Jacob Duffy, Oran McMenamin and Cahir McMonagle.

“It is going to sound crazy but the coronavirus lockdown was actually a positive for us because boys were all in Derry. Boys who would normally be working away in Dublin, Belfast or other places were all working from home. When things eased, we were all training together, no one was going away on holidays or off to America. So, we trained and we worked hard but having everyone the younger players brought such energy.

“Some of us older boys can get grumpy and cynical. We have had defeats in these games and can be negative at times whereas the young lads bring an energy and a positivity. Even trying things in training, it keeps things fresh and competition high.”

“Everyone, including the more experienced players like myself, we’re all looking behind us at talented players ready to take your shirt. That’s a big reason I thinkFores we are getting that bit more out of ourselves at the minute.”

That competition for places have been evident throughout a swashbuckling run to Sunday’s final where their biggest obstacle yet awaits in the form of championship favourites, Greenlough.

“Greenlough have been fantastic throughout this championship,” admitted Forester, “I’ve been watching their games on the #wearederry (which is class by the way!). We both play very similar styles so it’s probably going to come down to mental toughness in the last 10 minutes because it is going to be blow for blow and who can take their chances.

“It will be about who is going to keep the cool head with 10 minutes to go and who is going to make something happen. It is going to be very tight, I don’t think even the bookies can separate the two sides but we know how strong Greenlough are and anything we get we’ll have to work very hard for it.”

Both clubs employ a similar counter-attacking style that sees their half-forward lines drop deep to instigate play through hard running out of the half-back line and both boast marquee forwards in the form for Niall Loughlin and Enda Lynn for Greenlough with Ben McCarron, Cahir McMonagle and Eoghan Bradley hogging the headlines for the Brian Ogs.

Despite that arsenal of forward talent, however, Forester believes Sunday could see an unsung hero take centre stage.

“In finals like this there is never going to be much in it. Your big game players are going to be well marked. It’s going to be nip and tuck. They will target our key men and we will target theirs so it could come down to others in the squad. When the game is in the melting pot, which players can make the right decisions more often than not?

“Boys who have been flying under the radar in the championship, they are probably the players who are going to have the biggest impact with the decisions they make when the game is in the melting pot. It could come down to depth of panel and who has the strongest mental attitude.”

Ten years on from that 2010 heartbreak, no one could doubt Forester’s resolve. On Sunday he’ll hope to discover if the wait has been worthwhile.