“I’ve done nothing, honest to God.”
The Gospel according to Aghadrumsee manager Jason O’Connor after his charges saw off Newtownbutler just over a fortnight ago.
Sceptical would be the word of choice, particularly when factored in that this was his first year at the helm, with St Macartan’s also claiming the less prestigious but acclaim-worthy double of the reserve league and championship in 2024.
By the time Drumhowan roll into Roslea, three weeks will have passed since O’Connor’s most important victory of the year.
At this level, video footage is often at a premium, tip ons are unreliable.
So as a Monaghan man, he certainly will have weighed in this time - whether he admits it or not - as the Monaghan champions prepare to head through his home town and across the border this weekend.
His own town of Clones were Junior for a long spell prior to promotion two years ago. He will know The Drumlin County’s third tier all too well.
If Aghadrumsee “drank hard for three or four days” then Drumhowan may well have done similar, given this was their first escape from the clutches of Junior football since 2015.
The semi-final stage had been the monkey on their back in recent times. In Aughnamullen a few weeks back they ensured that wasn’t to be the case again.
League champions Toome were making a right fist of it, tempers were boiling, and both sides looked to experienced heads.
But in the end it was young Tom Doherty who grabbed the crucial score in his first year of senior football, a real find for Drumhowan.
Throw in too full-back Conor Curran, Killian McAdam and others and the rebuild of Geraldines is all too apparent. Captain Pat Quinn is himself 23. This team have far from peaked.
To gain revenge from a league semi-final reversal at the hands of Toome showed real character. Monaghan panellist Darragh McElearney, also 23, showed all of his athleticism with one particular lung-busting drive up the field when his side needed it most.
In the final win over Éire Óg, they had been the better side all the way through. Suddenly a goal had brought the Smithborough side within a score in the closing stages.
A crucial kickout was won, up the field Drumhowan went, grabbing a goal of their own and sealing the deal in the most dramatic fashion. There were shades of a golden goal.
Manager Donal McAdam wouldn’t have cared in how they crossed the line, but cross the line they did and now their provincial quarter-final awaits, where they will be expected to advance.
Freetaker Aiden Bannon is one of their opponents’ main threats, with his side atoning for defeat to Newtownbutler in 2022.
After a semi-final win over Coa, O’Connor had said it would be a “shock” if his side claimed the title, but one they very much believed they were capable of pulling off.
A win on Saturday would undoubtedly represent their greatest achievement to date in what has been a super calendar year so far.