DONEGAL GOALKEEPER PAUL Durcan has admitted it’s been ‘a tough few months’ since his glaring All-Ireland football final error.
Durcan went on to earn an AllStar award but found it difficult to shake the disappointment of being at fault for a crucial goal scored by Kerry in September’s final.
The experienced net minder infamously chipped a short kick-out in the 52nd minute straight to Kieran Donaghy who returned the ball with interest to the Donegal net.
With Kerry eventually winning by three points it was a costly mistake that left commentators dumbfounded.
Some wondered if the 30-year old was momentarily blinded by the sun while manager Jim McGuinness suggested the following morning that a colour clash of jerseys may have been to blame.
But Durcan said it was a far more fundamental mistake and that he simply chunked his kick at the worst time possible.
“It’s been a tough few months,” said Durcan. “You try and put things in perspective. But it was hard the way it went for myself on the day with the mistake I made, probably on the biggest stage that is possible in my sport.
“I have to live with it and move on and try and enjoy playing my football, whatever I have left in my career.
“I just kicked the ground. I was trying to hit it out to the right slightly and I just, ah, I’ve watched it back myself again and I just kicked the ground and the ball took off at the wrong angle.
“Myself and Michael, the other ‘keeper, were saying that it (kicking the ball out) is something that we do every day and it’s so simple but it’s just something that happened.”
Asked if he has criticised himself privately for the error, Durcan nodded.
“I probably have, yeah,” he said. “But there was good support around me, the whole team, Jim and the backroom staff and my family as well.”
Durcan accepted that Donaghy still had plenty to do in terms of actually scoring when he was presented with the unlikely pass. At that stage, just a point separated the teams and Donaghy took full advantage to move Kerry four clear.
“In fairness, he took the goal well when he got the sniff of an opportunity,” said the Four Masters club man. “That’s the problem with Kerry, you can’t give them these opportunities. They don’t miss many.
“The goal in the first-half too, they got that opportunity and I would have been disappointed with myself on that one too but these are the things that happen. It’s just the way it goes.”
Durcan turns 31 next April but says he’s committed to returning to county action under new manager Rory Gallagher.
“I’ll have to see first if Rory wants me back in January,” he said. “If he asks me to play, I’ll play.”
Good luck Rhys!
Good man we are rooting for you