If you were to describe, Mickey Reilly's career as packed, you certainly would feel that this was an understatement, writes Tony Dunne. To know Mickey personally, the enormity of his ability to do many things at once seems normal. So it comes as no surprise to see the affable Redhills man, deeply engrossed in the everyday workings of Cavan football, where he is presently working as a selector in the current county senior team management structure. Mickey, who has served four Cavan senior football managers over the past seven years hopes that the present incumbent, Mattie Kerrigan, can bring the Breffni Blues side to greater things after their successful run in reaching last year's Ulster final against Tyrone. Mickey's pedigree as a footballer started back in his early childhood playing football around the green fields of Redhills. A Redhills man through and through, he started his football career playing with Annagh under-14's an amalgamation of Redhills and Belturbet. They proved to be a useful combination making it to the final of Roinn A. They were beaten by the then kingpins of the era, Cavan town school side, De La Salle. At under 16 level the sweet taste of victory was to elude him and his team-mates. The following year, 1967, he moved to Navan to become a trainee with then Post & Telegraphs. While in Navan, Mickey's talents didn't go unnoticed as the local team, Navan O'Mahony's recruited him for their minor squad. Micky felt playing with players you didn't know brought you on in football terms, as you had to be able to express you talents if you wished to make the side. This experience with O'Mahony's, although he did not win any trophies, he felt, gave him a tremendous amount of confidence which was to prove invaluable in the years ahead. He was also based in Drogheda throughout this period and while there trained with Newtown Blues. It was 1968 before he finally started his career proper with his local club, Redhills, when he lined out against near neighbours, Monaghan side, Currin in a challenge game. This game Mickey recalls well, as they were close neighbours and as such engendered great rivalry. The game proved to be a baptism of fire for the young talented player. Although the exchanges were crunching to say the least, Mickey still managed to account for a personal tally of five points. This was to be effectively his introduction to football in the senior ranks and having solidified his place on the team it wasn't long before the silken qualities and accurate shooting of the young blonde lad from Redhills was reckoned to be a rising star. He graduated to the Intermediate side in 1970 and was on the winning league teams of 1972 and 1973.  In '73, Redhills amalgamated with Belturbet and revitalised the Annagh combination for the Cavan senior championship. With players of quality, in both clubs, Belturbet providing, Jack McGuigan, Tony "Hooks" Gorby, and Dickie Fitzpatrick while Redhills, had the hugely talented, Ollie Brady, (Cavan's first GAA All Star), Hugh McInerney, Paddy Maguire, and Mickey Reilly, they looked a good bet for the championship that year. Mickey felt it was an exciting time to be involved in football, as Annagh raced to the county final where they accounted for Ramor United in a close and exciting contest by 4-11 to 3-8. Mickey states that this victory created its own piece of history as it was the first time that an amalagated team had won this competition and also attracted the largest attendance at a county final.  The following Sunday, Redhills went on to win the Intermediate Championship accounting for Killeshandra. The Redhills team on this occasion fielded eleven of the senior championship side from the previous Sunday. This was the first occasion that any player in the county had won two championship medals in the same year.  In 1971, Mickey made his county debut, being selected for the Cavan Under 21 side and that same year he was brought into the senior panel. His involvement for the senior team lasted from 1971 to 1974 where he played in the Ulster championship on three campaigns, missing out in the 1973 championship due to a broken collar bone. The early seventies was to prove to be one of his busiest times football wise and he was a key member of the P. & T. team that won the All - Ireland P. & T. championship in 1973. 1984 was to see Mickey once again winning an All - Ireland medal with the Cavan Eircom team.  Throughout the eighties, he continued playing with Redhills but had little success in terms of winning trophies during this era. As a member of the Cavan over-40s, he won two further All-Ireland medals 1993 when Cavan were victorious over Kildare and again in 1996 when they accounted for Mayo. Selector  His re-entry into Cavan senior county football came as a selector, when Donegal man, Martin McHugh brought him on board the management team in 1994. Despite his heavy commitment to the county team Mickey was to continue playing with Redhills until his retirement in 1996. This retirement ended a playing career with Redhills that spanned over twenty-seven years. Mickey's knowledge of Cavan football proved invaluable and his attitude of nothing was too difficult was an asset that proved invaluable to the McHugh management team. A complete understanding of what players needed in the modern game was the hallmark of his approach. Players away from the county, whether working or at university, were kept constantly in touch with through Mickey's insistence that they must be kept informed and notified about training and scheduled games throughout the year. This tireless and unselfish work-rate was highly rewarded when the McHugh led side reached the Ulster final in 1995 only to lose to Tyrone. Mickey said: 'I felt really gutted after this game, as for long periods we had the game there for the taking, but on reflection, maybe the players had been on the losing side too many times to take advantage of those situations. Credit must be attributed to the squad, to a man they felt after that game, that they were good enough to win the Ulster championship'.   The following year, Cavan Under-21s reached the All - Ireland final. After beating Meath in the semi-final at Roscommon, hopes were high that they would win the competition outright. It was Kerry who provided the opposition and at the Thurles venue Cavan had to play second fiddle to the southerns.  Despite the huge disappointment of this defeat, many of the Cavan side were now seasoned campaigners, and the following year, 1997 lining out on the senior side blazed a trail of glory to a place in the Ulster final. On a hot July Sunday, St. Tiarnach's Park, Clones was the venue and, Derry provided the opposition. The game proved to be one of the most exciting Ulster finals for many years and at the final whistle the Breffni side emerged winners by a single point.  Cavan had won The Anglo-Celt cup for the first time in twenty-eight years. The semi-final encounter was to prove to be another clash right out of the history books, with Cavan facing old rivals of the '30s, '40s and 50's, Kerry.  Mickey recalls this game: 'Cavan failed to produce their best form on the day. Maurice Fitzgerald's place kicking just managed to keep the Kerry side ahead. In fairness to the Cavan lads, they never gave up and in the final ten minutes, Larry Reilly was unfortunate when his blazing shot, rebounded of the woodwork with the Kerry keeper completely beaten. If we had got the luck of a few breaks at vital times, then I felt we had an excellent chance of beating Mayo in the final'.  These same two sides were to meet again in a fixture commemorating the 1947 All - Ireland final between Cavan and Kerry at the Polo Grounds in New York. Mickey travelled to New York in 1997 for this fixture and once again while Cavan had their chances, it was Maurice Fitzgerald's accuracy from dead ball situations that relegated Cavan to defeat.  At the end of that season, McHugh resigned from inter-county football, feeling that the commitment of travelling and being away from his young family was too great. His retirement left a void that was quickly filled by another All-Ireland winning star, Down's Liam Austin.  This era, for whatever reasons, proved to be a sad time for Cavan football. Personality clashes proved too much and in an ugly public debate, the whole episode was laundered. Liam resigned as did the whole management team, including Mickey. When he reflected on this crisis, he feels that the real loser was football itself as the direction of the players was diverted away from winning. The panel of players there at the time was capable of winning at least another Ulster title.  Val Andrews, was then appointed by the County Board. The task ahead of Andrews was full of foreboding. With the retirement of players of the stature of Damien O'Reilly and Stephen King and with a number of players drifting off the panel, it meant that a new era in Cavan football was about to be born. Andrews was aware of the many faceted talents of former selector, Mickey Reilly and promptly enticed him back into the management set-up. Mickey says: 'this was indeed an exciting and challenging time for Cavan football and Val's enthusiasm was infectious. He brought a whole new crop of young players into the squad and with self belief, moulded them into a strong unit. Under Val's stewardship, Cavan regained Division 1 status and made it to the Ulster final in 2001. Not many pundits gave us a chance against a star studded Tyrone side. Cheered on by a massive Cavan following, Cavan produced their best performance of the season and had the favourites reeling when the midfield duo of McCabe and McCrudden began dominating the exchanges in the first half. Cavan led at half time, but once again, maybe on this occasion, inexperience allowed Tyrone off the hook'. Val resigned at the end of 2001 and Mickey felt that he was a great loss to Cavan.  The appointment of a new manager, came in the form of Meath's Mattie Kerrigan. Kerrigan like his predecessors didn't take long to assess the abilities of the Redhills man and had him quickly sequestered for his fourth term in "office". Although only in the embryonic stages of his management, Mickey feels that Mattie has a great feeling and love for the game and that his attitude towards the players and football will be of great benefit to Cavan football. With the new format of the senior championship now in place, it will give Cavan a great chance of blooding the younger players in the hot arena of championship football, and this can only benefit counties like Cavan. Mickey feels that Westmeath are a case in point and that Cavan with its great tradition could be on the verge of making a meaningful breakthrough once again.  In the modern set-up he says: 'the commitment to preparing for senior county football is without a doubt that of the professional approach. No stone can be left unturned. The demands on the players are enormous, with time involved through training, travelling and playing. County Boards are tackling these problems and trying their utmost to provide a sound and professional approach to county teams'.  In an active footballing career that spanned over twenty-seven years, Mickey says: 'he was fortunate to be only seriously injured once when he broke his collar bone back in 1973'. Throughout his football lifespan he met many talented opponents, but he feels that two Cavan players, Robbie McDermott from Ballinagh and Michael Watters from Ballyhaise were without a doubt the toughest he met. On influencing his career, he credits, team-mates Paddy Maguire, Hugh McInerney, and Cavan colleagues, the late Charlie Gallagher, Gabriel Kelly, Ray Carolan and Tom Lynch as having the greatest impact. In a game of could have or should have, Mickey says, that two of his clubmates, Brendan Smith and Seamus Donohoe were without a doubt, in his opinion, two of the most underrated players of their time, and were unlucky not to have played for Cavan'.  Mickey feels that his new lease of life in football can be attributed to his family, where his wife, Fidelma and three daughters, Eimear, Aoife and Edel have all encouraged him in the pursuit of the game that he dearly loves. Mickey says, that all his family are deeply interested in Gaelic games with all of his family involved in sport.  The low points of his career was losing the Ulster championship finals back in 1995 and again in 2001 and the resignation of Liam Austin, while the high points was the Ulster title victory over Derry in 1997 and the trip to New York that same year. Tweet

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