The Comeback Kids Are Alive And Well.

Monday 13.06.2011

Club

The old adage about playing to the final whistle or it isn’t over until the fat lady sings are phrases that are probably quoted in every changing room across the country at sometime or other. However if you are six or seven points down with only a few minutes left on the clock some players unfortunately appear to accept the “inevitable” and defeat is usually the result. It takes a special type of player, or team to conjure up such a great escape.

Interestingly there are many examples in all sports and all walks of life of superb comebacks that defied belief. The most recent and high profile of course was probably the recent Heineken Cup Final involving Leinster and Northampton where the Irish province came back from a seemingly impossible position to win the tournament.

Tyrone have also shown themselves to possess the character and wherewithal on several occasions in recent years to come back from the brink. The feeling created by such a success is impossible to quantify or describe but very little else in sport compares with that type of victory.

Well there must have been a few pleasantly plump, fine voiced females at GAA grounds around Tyrone over the weekend judging by some of the results from the league fixtures that took place during Saturday and Sunday. We had several examples of Lazarus like resurrections where teams came back from what appeared impossible positions to either win or draw a game. Ardboe, a team well known for their tenacious qualities, were four points down with less than ten minutes to play but turned this deficit into a six point win. Greencastle trailed by six with six minutes left against Omagh and managed to salvage a draw with a last minute fisted goal by Enda Clarke. Dromore trailed by a point with three minutes remaining against Cookstown but ended up winning by five.

These types of wins, or in Greencastle’s case type of draw, are worth more than just the league point or points that accompany them. They give teams a huge shot in the arm in terms of confidence and self belief and are often talked about for weeks or months to come. Make no mistake about it, there is nothing like the sound of the final whistle blowing or anybody, man or woman, singing when you get a result like those obtained by Ardboe, Dromore and Greencastle over the weekend.