Soccer and Gaelic Marriage to help Down !!! - 20/07/03

By Alex McGreevy, The Down Democrat

A marriage of soccer and gaelic knowledge and skill has helped lift Down football over the threshold of championship football in Ulster this summer.

It was more by fault rather than design that Davy O'Hare found himself dating inter-county football. The Coleraine net-minder who concluded his soccer duties last season with an Irish Cup winning medal, is overseeing an initiative that has proved worthwhile for Down 'keepers Mickey and Brendan McVeigh. O'Hare, who has represented Coleraine University in the Sigerson Cup and appeared in a Derry shirt during a National League campaign, found himself part of Down's squad of youth and legend after being invited to coach the McVeigh duo. He prefers to find a more suitable word than "coach" to describe his post and considers himself to be more of a "helping hand".

"It was Sean Og McAteer (Down management), a good friend of mine, who approached me with a position in the Down squad as goalkeeping coach," said McVeigh. "Initially I thought I was a bit bizarre to be asked to coach a 'keeper Mickey McVeigh's stature. I wondered what a superb goalkeeper of the same age could possibly learn from me. "I prefer not to be considered the coach of the Down 'keepers. "I'm there to help out and give the guys something that most counties do not have, essential goalkeeping training.

"When the hard grind of training is over the goalkeepers need to work on their game and I was brought in to assist them. "At first I felt a bit uneasy, wondering if Mickey McVeigh was thinking 'who is he to come in here and tell me how it's done'. "But it hasn't been that way. "Ìm not teaching him new tricks. I'm just there to help." Regardless of his perceived status, O'Hare has been warmly welcomed in to Paddy O'Rourke's camp and is thankful this summer is not as empty as he's used to.

Hazy days for O'Hare have for too long been filled with a frustrating wait for the recommencement of the soccer season. Now his other love in life is giving him some quality time in return. "There's nothing I hate more than waiting around for pre-season training to begin," he added. "When the chance to work with Down came up I thought it would present a great chance for me to fill my summer with something worthwhile. "To say that it has been more than worthwhile is an understatement. I've always tried to combine gaelic football with soccer but it hasn't always been possible. "So being with Down in soccer's close season is great for me. I'm doing something I never dreamed I would and although I have nothing to do with Down's success this year, it is still a great personal achievement to have been invited to work with the panel."

Newry-born O'Hare played for Armagh alongside Cathal O'Rourke, Damien Horisk and Glasgow Celtic's Neil Lennon in the 1989 Ulster Minor Final.

The Queen's University computer programmer later wore a Derry shirt in the National League while Dublin legend Brian Mullins managed the Oak Leaf county team. In the Irish League he picked up a First Division honour with Coleraine and having played in European competition and developed his game with the likes of legendary Manchester United 'keeper Harry Gregg, O'Hare still finds himself in awe of Down's household names. "Sometimes I've found myself wondering how I've ended up in the same changing room as Mickey Linden, James McCartan, Paddy O'Rourke and Greg Blaney. "These men are legends of the GAA, men who I was in awe of when they were winning All-Ireland medals for their county. They are more true to the description of legend than most soccer players could hope to be. "They are genuine sportsmen who give all for little or nothing in return." The Irish League is not an arena blessed with an abundance of quality goalkeepers and O'Hare would encourage soccer managers to look into the world of gaelic games to find top class net-minders.

However, he would forewarn them not to expect total commitment. "The GAA produces top class goalkeepers because the nature of the game demands that they must work on every aspect of goalkeeping. "The role of the 'keeper is of absolute importance in gaelic football and any soccer manager who gets himself a GAA 'keeper is getting quality. "But getting commitment is another manner. It's okay for some to play soccer in the winter and gaelic in the summer. I have met some soccer folk who cannot understand the loyalty of gaelic players to their clubs and county without some reward in return. "Some soccer managers won't consider a GAA player because of the risk of losing them when the gaelic season begins and that's understandable."

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