U21AFC: Seán Coakley's sparkling display for Douglas all the more impressive after injury woes

Scoring 1-6 in a county U21 final is an immense achievement, in and of itself.

Doing so while still a teenager adds an extra layer of impressiveness. Add in the fact that it came so soon after almost two years out and it takes on fantastical proportions, but Douglas’s Seán Coakley ticks all of those boxes.

On Sunday, he was central to the city side’s McCarthy Insurance Group U21AFC final victory over Ibane Gaels - not bad considering he only returned to action after 22 months out in August’s city final win over Nemo Rangers.

“I had a cruciate ligament tear and I had an MCL rupture,” he said.

“I recovered from that in about ten months and then I had re-occurring shin splints for about another year.

“I'm still not fully back - I'd say that's the fourth full game I've played. I'd like to thank Brian O'Connell, my physio, and James Harty, my surgeon as well - I've been through it now and I'm hopefully getting out the other side.”

That Coakley made it back was down to having good people around him, as well as an iron-clad conviction that he would return - not that it was easy.

“Some nights you're questioning yourself when you're alone or you're in a dark place down in the Douglas gym,” he said

“But in this game you have to back yourself. It's total self-belief.

“I trusted myself, I trusted my support group around me and after that I didn't have any worries.”

Douglas certainly had to work for their 1-16 to 2-9 win in Macroom on Sunday, with two early Ibane Gaels goals putting the Argideen Rangers/Barryroe side ahead. Coakley’s 45th-minute goal put Douglas ahead for the first time and they pushed on in the closing stages.

“They really came out through the gates, which we knew they would, to be fair,” Coakley said.

“They have some serious players, especially with what they've had to deal with this year.

“But, as I said before, whether it's me or the team, in this game you just have to back yourself. Trust your ability, focus on the next ball.

“And look, we trusted the management, they trusted us, the tactics took care of themselves and I’m just delighted.”

Many of this Douglas group were part of the 2022 Premier 1 MFC victory and now the mission is to successfully step up to senior level.

“In terms of my own grades, I think this is my seventh top-tier football title, which just goes to show the support we have and the players we have,” Coakley said.

“But I think the real challenge for us as a club now is pushing on that senior. But I think we're coming to a stage now where you look like, even our senior teams this year, the average age is probably 22 or 23.

“The next few years, if we all knuckle down, I really think there could be a solid base.”