By Cian O'Connell

At half-time on his way into the old Hogan Stand dressing rooms the immortal Derry manager Eamonn Coleman stopped for a brief chat with BBC Sport.

Tight and tense in the opening period, there was a glint in Coleman's eye. "Tough stuff out there," he reflected.

Derry, though, were relishing the battle. This was the game and arena Coleman wanted his team to parade their talent on.

At the penultimate round Derry had sampled a packed Crok Park when Enda Gormley's splendid seven point haul was critical when fending off Dublin's challenge. Now Derry were delivering in an All Ireland final against a Cork outfit with a mix of youth and experience.

Up north Coleman was stitching a decent Derry team together. Hope had been generated when Derry claimed an Ulster title in 1987. Tony Scullion reckoned that was an important sign, but the fact that in the intervening years further players were developed added to the sense of belief.

“We had a few good underage teams and it was brilliant that we had those younger lads coming through along with us the more experienced members of the squad," Scullion told GAA.ie.

“We had a good panel blending together in the early 90s and with Eamonn Coleman, God rest him, the great man and great manager he was, he blended us.

“He had been successful with the underage teams and blended us together. He made us one big family, he really brought the best of us, each and every one of us.”

Coleman's gift according to Scullion was the connections and relationships he could forge with the different characters in the panel.

“Absolutely, that is the secret in management,” Scullion admits. “It is not about coaching awards or reading books trying to find things out, you just need to have it.

“Something that you are just born with. Eamonn would have worked at the same level as the rest of us. He would never have been above us, he played cards with us at the back of the bus, he chatted with us before and after training, we all felt he was looking after us.

“That can't be learned. You can't learn that, you either have it or you don't have it. You would have died for him, you would have done anything for him. "He didn't want to be on a different level from us, he was on the same level as us, he was just one of us. We would have done anything for Eamonn Coleman. He was just a very, very special man, a great man, one in a million.”

Club rivalries ran deep, but Coleman always tried to find a way to unite Derry players according to Scullion. “He would have sussed you out if there were problems with anyone else on the panel, he then would have sussed the other fella out to bring the two together.

“Then you'd think the lads were like two brothers, he was excellent at that. He was brilliant at making sure everyone died for each other when they were playing for the county. Nobody could have done that only Eamonn Coleman in Derry.”

Unsurprisingly Coleman had Derry primed for GAA headquarters. Down, Monaghan, Derry, and Dublin were all beaten en route to December.

A goal hadn't been leaked by Derry in the Championship. 'The Men Who Won Maguire' offered a insight into Derry's adventure with goalkeeper Damien McCusker telling the documentary about how they coped with setbacks in the Cork clash.

"We had talked beforehand about different scenarios," McCusker reflected. "We hadn't conceded a goal up to that. Joe Kavanagh scored a goal, a good goal, it was a bit of a surprise, but it was just about getting the next kick out down again and settling."

Such a cool and calm approach worked well. At the opposite end of the field a couple of flashpoints increased the tension.

Crucially, though, Derry grabbed a goal of their own when Seamus Downey fisted the ball into the back of the Hill 16 end net.

Despite Tony Davis' sending off Cork ploughed on defiantly. After the restart Don Davis' delicious pass released John O'Driscoll, who struck a goal. Suddenly Derry were under duress once more. Again it was a time for cool heads and class Derry scores.

Enda Gormley curled over a beauty and dinked a quick free to Johnny McGuirk, who rifled over a fine point. Derry closed out the deal sparking a wild pitch invasion as rain dripped from the sky.

“We weren't used to All Ireland Finals, yes we had won a National League Final in 1992 against Tyrone, that did us no harm at Croke Park,” Scullion states.

“The only other time Derry were in an All Ireland was 1958 so playing Dublin was a great experience. A lot of people thought after we won that semi-final, Derry people just couldn't see us getting beat in the All Ireland Final.

“I couldn't believe it and there was a bit of pressure on our team. Even though we took it in our stride there was definitely pressure with some young lads on that Derry team too.

“I was the oldest member of the team at the time, I was coming 32 so I had a good innings with Derry before that so I could have missed out on it very easily.

"We had a lot of young lads. After we beat Dublin a lot of people thought Sam Maguire is coming to Derry for the first time ever."

The last game in the campaign proved awkward and far from comfortable. Coleman, though, had ensured Derry's skill was combined with a spirit that counted deeply when the most demanding Cork questions were posed.