Inside Track: Fergal has already proven himself the real deal

Fergal Reel brings a lot to his job as under-20 side manager, and with experience comes an impressive CV, well laced with success.

Since taking over at the beginning of last year, the County Armagh man has seen his charges reach two Leinster finals, winning one. There’s also been an All-Ireland semi-final win, that one-point defeat of Mayo a fortnight ago.

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It would be the pinnacle of his career so far if he were to see his side trump Tyrone tomorrow evening, bringing the title to the county for the first time.

A senior player with Silverbridge for two decades, beginning when he was 17 and continuing until injury ended his career, Reel had GAA President, Jarlath Burns, as a colleague, along with other Armagh county players, Joe and Martin Murphy.

His first coaching job was with Silverbridge minors, and if scoring an early win was important, this provided him with it, the ’Bridge youngsters winning the 1994 county title.

He coached at adult level after that, in Louth, with Roche Emmets and Glyde Rangers, and Monaghan, where he masterminded a Doohamlet junior championship win.

His arrival at Pairc Éamoin, Lordship, in 2011, was the springboard to outstanding success in Louth football. Within months of taking charge with St Patrick’s, he oversaw Paddy Keenan’s side bring the Joe Ward Cup home for the fourth time. It was only 12 months later when win No 5 was brought up.

The bid for the hat-trick was foiled the following year; but to show neither Reel nor his team had lost the winning touch, the title was regained in 2014. In those four years, Pat’s also won the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup three times.

Reel moved on after that, having a brief spell in Monaghan before taking over the reins in Monasterboice, Naomh Máirtín aiming to win the championship for the first time.

He worked the oracle, Sam Mulroy’s side beating St Mary’s in the ‘Covid Final’ of 2020, and then making it two-on-the-trot with a win over St Mochta’s in the final in Ardee.

Since then, Reel has been back in Monaghan, where he took Carrickmacross to the 2023 intermediate championship final. After that he stepped up to inter-county football – that he hasn’t lost his touch is all too evident.

Constant throughout his time in Louth and other counties – Reel has also coached in Down with Mayo bridge – has been Richie Ford’s presence in his back-up team.

Ford is a highly regarded statistician, and it’s by forensically examining all of the Dundalk Gaels clubman’s facts and figures that Reel is able to put to right what might have gone wrong in the first half, and what needs to be done when the team goes back out, or in following games. This is so much a part of what the game is now all about.

Also on the manager’s team are former O’Rahilly’s and Louth goalkeeper, Barry Murtagh, Mattock Rangers’ county championship winner, David Brennan, and Declan Byrne, one of a St Mochta’s family that can only be gleaning mighty satisfaction from all that’s been happening this year in boys’, men’s and ladies’ football.

Another of the backroom team is Séamus Mulholland, a Carrickmacross-based coach, who Fergal Reel worked alongside in his time in Monaghan.

Regardless of how it goes in Armagh, there can be no complaints over the Louth team’s back-up or preparation.