Lyons aiming to end 43-year wait for a Senior Championship

For, Erne Gaels' eloquent and erudite captain Ryan Lyons is a grandnephew of the two men from Knocknashangan on the Donegal side of Belleek who played for Donegal and New York in the 1950s.

His uncle Jim Ferguson was on the last Erne Gaels team to take the New York Gold Cup in 1981, captained by the legendary Seanie “Cruncher” McCaffrey.

And as the youngest son of Margaret and Dermot Lyons (who also played with Erne Gaels as did his sister Margaret), Ryan was always going to be a footballer.

His eldest brother Shane represented Ireland at underage level in the Compromise Rules series in Australia and was a Fermanagh regular and Mark and Damien represented Fermanagh at underage level and were major club players.

Ryan has followed in Shane’s footsteps and has been a key figure for the country's senior side and has just come back from a serious injury to lead his men into battle with favourites Enniskillen Gaels on Sunday.

“My uncle Jim played, and my older brothers Shane, Mark and Damien were ahead of me and that gave me great motivation to play too.

“I wanted to be like them, and it was great to be able to follow Shane onto the county senior team, but I am equally proud of all of the family and extended family’s involvement in the GAA.

“And I have heard a lot about the “Yankee Gallaghers” from my parents.”

"Shane first burst on the scene as an 11-year-old in 2005 when Erne Gaels won two U-14 county titles on the trot.”

Sunday will be Ryan’s fourth county final since 2016. and he says there is a good mix of youth and experience in the side.

“We have a really good blend there now with the older boys, with Seamie Ryder, Brian Mullin, Martin Gilfedder and Paul McCaffrey.

“The next crop is Barry McCann, myself, Shane Rooney, Jack McCann, Tommy McCaffrey, Oisin Kelm and the younger lads like Ultan Kelm, Ultan O’Reilly, Aogan Kelm, Odhran Johnsons and Dan McCann-so It is an exciting blend.

Last Sunday week, the Gaels banished an eight-year hoodoo when they at last managed the beat their Nemesis Derrygonnelly Harps.

“That was a big step, and it was not the best quality game-it was really attritional-but the most pleasing aspect was the cohesion of the team.

“For quite some time against Derrygonnelly when the game was in the melting pot, we tended to shy away from it.

“But on Sunday the boys stood up as a team and got the result which was hugely important.

“Nobody was outstanding except Ultan O’Reilly but all the rest gave good 7/10 displays.

“Nobody shied away and Seamie Ryder and Aogan Kelm coming on made a big difference.

“It is now a game of 20/21 players, and it is very important to have that quality coming in.”

But it did not look good for the Gaels when the Harps went a point up with just seven minutes to go.

However, in a remarkable role reversal, the Gaels nailed on four points- three coming from Ryder and Aogan Kelm.

“Derrygonnelly had a purple patch in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
“We had a couple of chances in Odhran Johnson’s fisted point that was called back, Jack Kelly’s catch above the crossbar and a Shane Rooney mark that he would normally convert.

“So, we had a couple of real chances that we did not take.

“We kept Derrygonnelly to two or three points in that period, so our defence was good and then Oisin Kelm took the ball off me at serious pace and hit a great point from the side-line.

“That is something he is always capable of, and it was a great score.”

And then a few moments of magic from last year’s manager Seamie Ryder and Aogan Kelm changed the game.

“I have always rated Seamie, as one of the best I have played with for club or county.
“His decision making, his quality and he is as safe as houses, his poise on the ball on both sides and his footballing brain is unbelievable as well.

“He is a serious addition and a great focal point up front.”

When asked how he felt when the final whistle sounded against Derrygonnelly, he said: “It was relief, and it was a weight that was lifted and some of us have been on the receiving end of so many narrow defeats to them over the years.

“It was great to win it, and you just know you have earned it.”

But Lyons has been long enough around the block to know that it will mean nothing if they don’t get over the line on Sunday week.

This is Lyon’s fourth county final appearance since 2016 and when asked if all those defeats put Belleek under extra pressure on Sunday and there is an inescapable sense of ‘now or never’, he said: “I don’t think so, as over the last few years we have played four county finals and won two Intermediate Championship finals in 2021 and a SFL title in 2022 and we have won a number of county semi-finals as well.

“We have won a lot of big games, but county finals tend to take on a life of their own and we are looking on it as 70 minutes of football and if we have enough focus and clarity on what’s happening in those 70 minutes, then the whole sideshow around it is irrelevant.”

So where will the main threats come from Enniskillen Gaels, who easily beat Erne Gaels in the 2022 final?

“They just have so much talent all over the park-Conor McShea, Jonny Cassidy, Conor Love, Callum Jones, Brandon Horan, Eoin Beacom, John Reihill and a very good bench.

“They are well loaded around the pitch, and we will need to stop them or nullify them as best we can.

“But, a lot of it will be around us and what we can do.”

This year, the Gaels made the bold move of bringing in ex-Donegal boss and ex-player Paul Brennan in a bid to get that little extra.

“They did not change things too much and we have had quite a bit of success over the past few years.

“They bring county level standard to the setup and they have quite a bit of success over the years, so they bring a very organised winning mentality.

“They bring an edge a fierce passion and they know what it takes to bring success.”

Lyons added: “There is no slacking off and no corners cut, and everything is being done to maximum capacity and that is always a great help too.

“We are being accountable to each other as players, so it is very much player-driven as well.

“We all know what we want and that is to win a county title, and nobody has been found wanting at our training sessions.

“And we have all the bodies back which we did not have earlier in the year which is a big help too.”

But Belleek have created loads of goal chances- but have not taken too many.

“That comes from the level of pace, power and quality that is in the side.

“We have direct power and that helps but we will need to be able to take those chances on Sunday.”

When asked what it would take to beat hot favourites Enniskillen Gaels, he said: “Like against the Harps, it will be down to the collective and be really cohesive as a unit and most importantly being really clinical in our execution.

“It will take a massive team performance and of course, there will always be mistakes - on both sides but it’s how you react to these scenarios and how we nullify Enniskillen to a certain degree but also imprint our stamp on the game.”

So what would it mean to a club who have not won a county championship since “Cruncher” held the New York Gold Cup high in 1981 and some of us went missing for a few days!

“It is not just the 30 boys in the squad, not just the management- you think of the whole village and people who have volunteered over the years, great players who came so close and never got that county medal and all those who have not seen a county title in Belleek in their lifetime.

“And people who are going through their own personal battles as well- the extra joy it would bring to them would be immeasurable.”

And those giants, “Yankee Jimmy” and “Yankee Tommy” would be raising a Powers or two from above!