A SEASON THAT BEGAN in controversy with his very appointment to the role and leaving Louth behind, went on to a National League victory in the final against Dublin and had Derry optimism for an All Ireland as high as it ever was since 1993.

And it all ends here. In Croke Park, with a five point loss to Kerry. Along the way it took a severe plot twist with Donegal coming to Celtic Park and pillaging it on the first day out of the championship.

Since then, Derry’s season has been out of control. This was their fourth loss in championship, but the manner of the previous losses has inflicted what could become lasting damage for this group of players.

Time will tell.

Asked for his own assessment of the season, Mickey Harte began, “I’d say it was reasonable. Obviously, if you win division one of the league, that’s something to be happy about.

“Disappointing in Ulster in the Championship, disappointing in the round games. But the fact that we survived to reach a quarter-final here today, I suppose, makes it reasonable as well.

“But obviously, highly disappointing. We did intend to be back for a few more games here, at least one, maybe two, and that’s not happening.

“And that’s very disappointing because it’s a long time to the beginning of the new season and it looks so far away now for everybody involved. But that’s life and sport now. It’s going to be over in the first half of the year.”

There is no doubt that Harte is not ready to retire from intercounty management. He has too much tied up with it. But Derry also have a decision.

Is he the man for them?

After pursuing him in the first place?

And if not Harte, then who?

He doesn’t sound like a man who is planning on stepping down.

“Thank God I am able to leave things down,” he says.

“I will be hugely disappointed and forever there will be a degree of disappointment in the days that you lose and believe that you could do better.

“So yes, I’ll always be disappointed about that result and that outcome. But I’m pretty much an optimistic person and I look ahead.

“The past can’t be changed. We can try to do something different for the future. And I take life on a day-to-day basis like that.”

As for the fall since the league, he didn’t spare himself.

“I suppose the nature of our defeats was the big thing. It wasn’t just that we were beaten,” he explained.

“We were beaten badly by Donegal and Armagh. And we had a crazy kind of a battle with Galway in terms of losing the man and all of that. So I wouldn’t see it as such a bad outcome.

“And we know now where Galway are. So they’re a pretty useful side that we were up against that day.

“So yeah, it is disappointing. But look it, that’s life at this level. You give it your best shot. When you believe you have people of the quality required to go to the top, then you like to be getting as close to that top as possible. And we didn’t get close enough this year. So it’s going to be very disappointing, all told.”