ENDA Lynn arrived at Portglenone at the start of the season with his boots and a can-do attitude but no baggage from the club’s horror run of losing five championship semi-finals in the previous five years.
The former Greenlough, Derry, Ulster and London forward brought ‘fresh eyes’ to the challenge and he added an important touch of experience to Portglenone’s ranks. On Saturday he clipped over two second half points to make sure it was sixth time lucky for his new club as they saw off Lamh Dhearg with the minimum of fuss to reach their first senior county final since 2005.
It’s Portglenone’s third time in the Antrim showpiece and they have yet to win one. Breaking that duck will be a demanding assignment given that Cargin, their vastly-experienced opponents in the final, are chasing a hat-trick, their sixth title in seven fruitful years and their eighth in a decade in a fortnight.
Lynn – a Derry intermediate title winner with his native Greenlough – will be pivotal to their prospects as a battle-hardened campaigner in among a group of talented forwards including Ronan Kelly, who scored half-a-dozen points against Lamh Dhearg, and Oisin Doherty, who chipped in with four.
“After the heartbreak the lads have been through in the last five years, it’s special to get over this hurdle,” said Lynn after Portglenone’s impressive 11-point victory over Lamh Dhearg.
“I felt for them the last number of years and this was a big task against Lamh Dhearg but we beat them very well. We knew we had that in the locker but it was about bringing it on the big day and thankfully we did.
“We were looking good at half-time but in the last few years Portglenone have given up leads going into the last 10 minutes. We had that in our heads but we were good enough to come out on the right side of it.”
Lynn knew Portglenone manager John McKeever and several of the Portglenone players before he linked up with the club. The 37-year-old former Derry skipper says he will give all he can in the decider.
“I’ll do whatever I can offer; whether it’s a couple of points, a few runs or just organising things I’m happy to do my bit for the team and try and get us over the line,” he said.
“We know we have a big mountain to climb now in the final but all we can do is get ourselves right over the next couple of weeks and hopefully we’ll come out on the right side.
“The last number of years I’ve gained a lot of experience and the way I look at it is that if I can still run and move about I can offer something, whether it’s for 10-15 minutes or whatever. I’m happy enough as long as I get playing.
“Staying injury-free is the most important thing when you get to my age. It’s all about keeping yourself fresh and injury-free. Games are more important than training for me now.”
