Heroes from 2001 to be honoured at this year's Connacht SFC final
The Roscommon senior football team that captured the 2001 Connacht Senior Football Championship. Back row (l-r): Mike Ryan, Clifford McDonald, Seamus O'Neill, Derek Thompson, John Whyte, Denis Gavin, Paul Noone and Conor Connelly, RIP. Front row (l-r): Stephen Lohan, Gerry Lohan, Nigel Dineen, Fergal O'Donnell (captain), Francie Grehan, John Hanly and Frankie Dolan. Picture: INPHO/Morgan Tracey
The 2001 Roscommon senior football team — the last team from the county to win the Nestor Cup in Dr. Hyde Park — will be the guests of honour at Sunday week’s Connacht SFC final.
The team, captained by Fergal O’Donnell, will be introduced to the crowd on the 25th anniversary of that triumph.
Roscommon defeated Mayo by 2-10 to 1-12, thanks to Gerry Lohan’s last-gasp goal deep into injury time, to capture a first provincial crown in ten years.
Three members of the panel — Conor Connelly, Don Connellan and Ger Michael Grogan — have passed away, while Jimmy Finnegan, who was a selector on the team, has also gone to his eternal reward.
“It’s hard to believe that three young men off that team won’t be there. They were great players, great team-mates. It’s particularly sad for their parents, wives and children. They’re a huge loss to the group,” Fergal O’Donnell told the .
“The whole game was a blur. All you think about is the goal at the end. The crowd afterwards, the sun, the place was roasting, the atmosphere in town afterwards that night and the next day was unbelievable,” he said.
