The Orchard County were in Division Three of the National Football League when the Camlough native first broke into the senior team and he says the players owe their success to the drive of their manager
As the Armagh players made their way to the Gerry Arthurs Stand after Sunday’s epic extra-time win over Monaghan, Kieran McGeeney was there to greet every single player.
One-by-one, the Orchard boss embraced his players before they watched Aidan Forker and Aaron McKay raise the Anglo Celt Cup in front of thousands of fans who packed onto the pitch at St Tiernach’s Park.
At 31 years of age, Greg McCabe is old enough to remember a time when Armagh struggled to win a game in the Ulster Championship in the early years of McGeeney’s reign.
Indeed, when he first broke into the senior ranks, the Orchard County were in Division Three.
Fast forward some 10 years and the Camlough native is an All-Ireland winner and now has a coveted Ulster SFC medal. None of it would be possible without McGeeney stressed McCabe.
“Geezer is Mr Armagh, without him, these days don’t happen. I was there 10 years ago in Division Three and it wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t great but look how far we have come?
“We have won an All-Ireland title, we have an Ulster title now and we are playing Division One football, so it is just about pushing forward for more from here.
“Geezer brought in standards, he brought in ‘we before me’ and if you are not in it for Armagh then you are not going to be there.
“Listen, there are 42, 43 men in that panel and they all want to play for Armagh and that is why we are all here.
“Moments like this here will fairly kick us on but we will enjoy it but we will soon knuckle down and get ready for the All-Ireland Championship.”
McCabe said Sunday’s victory was as much for the fans as it was for the players, adding: “It is unbelievable, years of hard work, we have walked down this tunnel many of times with our heads down, sitting with our heads between our knees, tears and I just thought maybe Ulster was never going to come us.
“Our fans travel all over the country for us, it doesn’t matter if we are playing in Kerry or at home or in Clones, it doesn’t matter, our fans travel in big numbers, they have seen a lot of bad days and a lot of defeats, but winning the Ulster title was giving back to them.”
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