Conor Glass admits that he feared for where Derry’s season could have gone had they failed to retain their Ulster title.
The Oak Leafers put provincial crowns back-to-back for just the second time ever courtesy of a penalty shootout victory over Armagh last month, all amid the backdrop of serious allegations levelled at their then manager Rory Gallagher by his estranged wife, Nicola.
Having stepped back from his role two days before the Ulster final, Gallagher resigned from his position two days after it.
Coach Ciaran Meenagh has stepped into the manager’s role and captain Glass says the players had no input into the process once the allegations were made public.
He said: “We were completely in the dark, as simple as it sounds, all we could focus on was the game - going to training that night and doing everything right.
“We stayed out of the public eye a bit more and all we could do for the Ulster final was win. We just set out to win and to get over the line was massive for us.
“If we had lost that game I don’t know what the round robin series would have been like because there would have been a lot more questions asked of the team and of Ciaran and the management team.”
Having gone on to win the Ulster title and then top their All-Ireland series group to move straight into the quarter-finals, it could be argued that the perception of how central Gallagher was to their success over the past couple of seasons is somewhat misplaced.
“That was just the way he coached,” said Glass. “He was mad on the line. He plays every game with you, as I’ve said plenty of times before.
“But, as players, you do your training during the week and when it comes to game day the manager doesn’t really have a say. It’s us out there coaching each other and I’d say other counties would say that as well.
“As much training as you do during the week, it’s preparing you for the weekend and that’s when the managers can’t really do anything, they can’t control the scenarios that are thrown up. We’ve dealt with that as players really well.”
As skipper, Glass carried added responsibilities in the playing group in terms of how they navigated the whole scenario, though he leaned on his predecessor and key defender Chrissy McKaigue.
“Having a sounding-board like Chrissy helped and the rest of the players too. It’s not just one man, or two men leading it – there are a lot of leaders in the team and any county set-up has to have that.
“Ciaran Meenagh is an unbelievable fella in terms of football but also he’s a family man and an absolute gentleman and the way he has dealt with the whole situation has been outstanding.”
