Cuala manager Austin O’Malley admitted to being a worried man when Errigal Ciarán threw the kitchen sink at his side in the second half of Sunday’s All-Ireland club SFC final.

The Tyrone champions threatened to pull off one of the greatest comebacks Croke Park has ever seen when they got within three points of their Dublin counterparts – they eventually lost by four – after trailing by 13 at the break.

“I was trying to remain calm, but when that Errigal tide came for us, particularly after Peter Harte's goal - and like, what a strike, and what that man has done for the game,” the former Mayo forward told reporters.

“I just knew once he turned and he hit it, there was only one place that ball was going. It was exceptional, the strike. That was a big moment, a momentum shift. I always say, a goal in Croke Park is bigger maybe than it is in other stadiums because it just gives this cacophony of sound and noise, and it came in behind them and lifted them.

“So yeah, definitely. We needed to make a couple of changes bench-wise and just get our hands on the ball, drop the temperature of the game again and try to work a few phases. We had a cushion, so it wasn't about going up the field and maybe pulling the trigger.

“It was about settling on possession and managing it a little bit.”

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