Galligan: 'We showed that we are not going to bottle it in close games'

Cavan captain Raymond Galligan turned in another exceptional display between the sticks today as his side saw off Armagh to reach a first Ulster SFC final since 2001.

And the Lacken Celtic clubman heaped praise on his team-mates who, he said, were determined to close it out once they found themselves in a winning position.

“We are 18 years waiting on it so it’s a fabulous day for Cavan people,” said Galligan.

“Was it nervy? Absolutely. There were questions there in our heads, we let a seven-point lead slip and to be fair to Armagh they showed serious resolve. They’re a very good team and their forwards kicked points from all angles.

“Again, this Cavan team showed serious heart, commitment and willingness to keep driving forward, keep going at it and I think today was a massive turning point for Cavan football. We showed that now, we are not going to bottle it, we are going to stick to the end no matter how things are going. It’s a fabulous day.

“We are so tight. Management have bought that, the players have really invested in each other. There is no ‘I’ in this team. Everybody is looking for the man in the best position. Everybody is pushing the next man in training as hard as he can go and when we dig deep, we know that the man beside us is going to do likewise.

“In the last two games, we showed that. That’s been brought by management but it’s been backed up by the players. No way were we letting this one slip with 10 minutes to go. We had massive leaders all over the field, Dara, Marty Reilly, Cian Mackey… The same as last week. It’s a credit to them all.”

Next up is Donegal in two weeks’ time.

“I feel we are going in there in a great position,” said Galligan.

“They gave us a good clipping last year in Ballybofey and they showed last night they are a great team, very well organised, serious players all over the field… But we’re going to give it a go.

“We have nothing to lose, first time in an Ulster final in a number of years. It’s a brilliant occasion for the kids, for older people. I’ll never forget ’97 as a child of 10 or 11. And the next two weeks are going to be great, it’s going to create memories and please God we’ll give the supporters something that they’ll cherish.

“And as long as we perform and leave everything on the pitch, the result will look after itself.”