By Cian O'Connell

Newly appointed Cavan Senior Football team manager, Mickey Graham, is excited about the latest challenge in his managerial career.

Graham has enjoyed splendid success with St Columba’s, Mullinalaghta in Longford, winning two county titles impressively and he will remain in charge for the rest of 2018.

The chance to manage his native Cavan, though, represents a real honour and Graham is relishing the task.

“It is still hard to believe that it is the position I find myself in at the moment,” Graham admits. “It is probably something at the beginning of the year I didn't really think about much because I didn't think the opportunity would arise.

“All of a sudden then when Mattie (McGleenan) stepped away there was a lot of speculation and obviously I was approached by Cavan.

“Even at that time I didn't think much would come off it, but all of a sudden I find myself with the job being offered. It was a great honour to be offered the job to manage your own county, it was one I couldn't refuse. To get that opportunity is great.

“There is lots of potential, it is about moulding a panel of players together, getting them playing for one another, getting them wearing the jersey with pride and believing in each other."

Potential exists in the Breffni County according to Graham with the four Ulster Under 21 crowns gleaned between 2011 and 2014 highlighting the work that has been carried out in Cavan. “There is a core of good players within Cavan,” Graham admits.

“You had a lot of lads that for various reasons between work commitments and that who couldn't commit for the last year or two.

“So if Cavan can get all the best players available to them, get them all on the panel there is lots of potential to work with.

“If the commitment is right, and they are willing to sacrifice their personal lives for the benefit of Cavan football you'd be hoping that when you go out for every game you would be competitive.

“That is all you'd ask for that the team can go out to be competitive, to give it their best shot. It is all you can ask from any player when they take the field.”

Cavan return to Division One of the Allianz Football League in 2019 and Graham accepts that it will be valuable preparation for the Championship.

“When you are playing at the highest level you will learn playing against the better teams,” said Graham.

“You will learn very quickly, players will learn, and management will learn about the pace of the game, the standard the teams are at, and the standard you need to get to.

“If you are going to learn you will learn against the best. It is a baptism of fire for me as a manager going in at the top table in Division One straightaway. I'm going to have to learn very quickly as the League kicks off. I'll have to learn and also make sure that the players are ready to compete at that level.

“Some of the lads have played in Division One two years ago so they will know the level that they need to get to in order to compete in Division One.”

Having former playing colleague Dermot McCabe and emerging coach Martin Corey in his backroom is helpful according to Graham. “I'm delighted to have Dermot on board, he brings a lot of experience, he was a great footballer himself, captain of Cavan,” said Graham.

“He has Cavan at heart, his heart is in Cavan football, all he wants is to see players reaching their full potential. What you see with Dermot is what you will get, he will call it as it is. Definitely he is a great addition to have in the management team.

“Also Martin, as you say, is an up and coming coach making great strides in club football. He is full of energy and he will be bringing that energy to the job, I'm looking forward to working alongside both of them because I know what both of them are going to bring.

“Hopefully we can add a few more and we are just finalising our backroom team in the next few weeks. It would be great to get another couple of strong people around us to make sure that we give the players all the tools they require to reach their full potential. That is what our main aim over the next couple of weeks will be, to finalise our backroom team.”

Graham quickly forged a connection with Mullinalaghta guiding them to glory in Longford. “I'm still involved with them, and my commitment is with them until the end of the season,” Graham comments. “The inter-county pre-season won't start until November so my main focus will be with Mullinalaghta.

“They have been great, a revelation for these past two years for what they have done for such a small place, a half parish basically of about 350 people to go to win a Senior Championship in this day and age.

“To back it up last year again was an unreal achievement for them bunch of lads, I'm delighted for them because they have put in tremendous effort these two past two years.

“Going for a three in a row this year is unheard of for the club, it just shows you anything is possible at club level when you have a committed group of lads willing to make sacrifices.

From the first day I arrived I knew straightway we were all on the same wavelength, I knew that we just clicked straightway. I got to know them very quickly, they got to know me very quickly.

“We got to understand what each other were looking for so it was a two way fix. I set out my stall early on, told them what I was looking for and they bought into it and anything I've asked, they have done from the first day I arrived.

“It definitely will be tough now at the end of the season to say goodbye because there has been such a bond built there in the three years.”

While Cavan have only claimed one Ulster senior crown since 1969 Graham insists that ‘realistic’ missions must be set and accomplished initially. “There is big tradition in Cavan, there is huge tradition, and every year Cavan go out there is talk about Ulster titles. That is just the tradition there.

“We have to be realistic as well, we have won one Ulster Championship match in five years, and three in 10 years. We need to start winning games before we start talking about winning Championships. We will take it one game at a time and we will set ourselves small goals, we just have to be realistic.

“This isn't going to happen overnight, people will just have to be patient, to give us time to get our feet under the table, to stamp our authority on what we want the lads to do, maybe change the mindset of lads around the way they were playing. Unfortunately sometimes patience can run thin on the inter-county scene.”