**By Cian O'Connell **

Fergal O’Donnell’s role in the Roscommon revolution shouldn’t be underestimated.  A proud captain when Roscommon claimed Connacht SFC glory in 2001, O’Donnell’s coaching career has been sprinkled with successful moments too.

The All Ireland minor triumph in 2006 is still fondly recalled when O’Donnell steered Roscommon to glory.  Then in 2010 another provincial senior title was gathered when Roscommon defeated Sligo at Elverys MacHale Park.  O’Donnell was on the line, plotting and planning, getting Ros on top of the western pile.

That is what O’Donnell wants to do again.  A couple of conversations with Kevin McStay were instrumental.

“Well I suppose one is the fact that Kevin was the catalyst and that he was looking for the job maybe more so than myself,” O’Donnell replied when asked what brought him back to the inter-county fold.

“The fact that it's shared now, there's no doubt about it, even in relation to media stuff, Kevin's experience and he'd be happier doing media and stuff and that. He has time, I have a young family and Kevin's kids are in college whereas my kids are 11, nine and seven.

“My wife's working away as well so it's a huge commitment like. The biggest thing is Kevin was very anxious to get involved. He said that he wanted me involved.

“I suppose the thing is, when I sat down and talked to Kevin I know the quality in the county because I've been involved in training them and, listen, the biggest thing is it's hard... to get a chance to train your own county.

“I was lucky enough to play for Roscommon, but it is a massive feeling to manage your own county and even to be here tonight and see the crowd. I was involved in the minor team there in '13 and '14 and the support we had was massive. It's hard work but it's very rewarding as well. You live for these days.”

O’Donnell’s return to the minor set up was a rewarding, but testing experience.  “The biggest thing, I look at Roscommon and what I see at underage is that team in 2013, I did see massive potential in that team and it'd be one of my biggest regrets, the All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone.

“I was very poor on the line, as a management team ourselves we were very poor on the line. It was interesting, Diarmuid (Murtagh) and a few of the lads, Ultan Harney, those guys would say it was a day they performed poorly and, interestingly, it was the team that lost this year in the under-21.

"I feel with those guys we haven't always delivered on their potential or us ourselves, but I suppose listen, the opportunity arose and the minor is easier than the senior.

“You play the Connacht League, you don't have the media intrusion. I suppose this year every League game was like a Championship game, do you know what I mean?

Fortunately, the results went our way so you weren't looking at relegation or that but it was good. I suppose the biggest thing, look I love Roscommon football.”

Earning respect is what O’Donnell is always seeking to do with Roscommon.  “I suppose when I took over the first time in 2009, like you'd love to establish Roscommon as a top eight team, that you could be playing in All-Ireland quarter-finals.

“I'm not going to say about All-Irelands. Even though we're in Divsision One, we know there's teams like Tyrone and all those teams that are ahead of us like.

“We're realistic, but it'd be nice to be thinking... like you look at Mayo, every year for the last few years, they know that they're going to be playing in August and even though they were beaten the other day, I'd still think they'd be playing in August, so we'd love to get to that stage. I suppose Kildare were there.

“Kildare are a team that I would often say were unlucky under Kieran McGeeney, you look at the crossbar against Down and you look at the point (Kevin) Cassidy hit (for Donegal).”