25 years ago, Dr Crokes beat Thomas Davis to win the Club All-Ireland. Colm Cooper had a pretty decent seat for the match that day. He was the Crokes mascot.
Cooper has done practically everything a man can do in football in the interving quarter century bar one thing: achieve the feat of the '92 Crokes team. The Gooch has been close so many times but Crokes have fallen short time and again.
Today, aged 33, Cooper scored a goal and a free and in the end his Crokes team overcame a dogged 14-man Slaughtneil team to reached the holy grail. Cooper harried and hustled especially in injury time and jumped into Pat O'Shea's hands when the final whistle blew.
He was clearly emotional when interviewed on TG4.
Emotional interview with Colm Cooper after winning his first All Ireland club final. #GAABEO pic.twitter.com/an6FAP4RfB
— GAA BEO TG4 (@GAA_BEO) March 17, 2017
The Gooch kicked the retirement questions to touch at full time.
'It is special' - Colm Cooper savours Dr Crokes' All-Ireland success pic.twitter.com/Wid04kNgoZ
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 17, 2017
The GAA world praised the Gooch after the match.
It had to be the Gooch to break the Slaughtneill Goalkeepers streak of not conceding a championship goal since 2015 #Baller #TheToughest
— Shane Walsh (@shane147walsh) March 17, 2017
All over. Gooch has won his first All-Ireland club. Questionable how Maurice Deegan allowed so many personal fouls against the Derry men tho
— Declan Bogue (@DeclanBogue) March 17, 2017
Gooch must have touched the ball more in injury time the most fellas would in a match! Congratulations to Dr Crokes, great team
— Stephen O Brien (@Stephenob15) March 17, 2017
Does the gooch ever misplace a foot pass!!!! Unreal
— Richie Hogan (@richiehogan8) March 17, 2017
The Gooch wearing number 13 and tracking all the way back to corner back... a coaches dream 😂 #TheToughest
— Kate Whyte (@Kate_Whyte) March 17, 2017
Absolutely thrilled for Crokes and particularly Gooch, if a man ever deserved a club medal..... #GAABEO
— flor gilmore (@flomeo) March 17, 2017
Crokes are like Barca with possession! Gooch is like Messi, serious play
— Conor Prunty (@pruntylad) March 17, 2017
