My brother's death hit us very hard but football helped get over it

MONAGHAN BOSS GABRIEL BANNIGAN ALWAYS LOOKED UP TO SIBLING OWEN

- Karl O'KANE

CONSCIOUS he was 'no spring chicken,' it was now or never for Gabriel Bannigan.

“Gaelic football mad,” he'd been around the block, living in Dublin for years and managing Kilamcud Crokes among others.

A career change after three decades from Bank of Ireland to 'Klass Oil' - created fresh possibilities for the current Monaghan manager.

And when his home club Aughnamullen came calling, he had to answer the call.

Bannigan's late brother Owen - father of current Monaghan captain Mícheál - who passed away a decade ago had always wanted him to manage their local club again, having coached them before.

Owen, the older brother, was Gabriel's “inspiration.” His hero.

They spoke every day on the phone except for that one time when Leeds knocked Man Utd out of the FA Cup.

Aughnamullen was in their bones so when the call came, with the club in the junior ranks and at a low ebb there was only ever one answer.

Having guided the club back to intermediate and then onto senior, Bannigan was having a pint in the club one day, after beating Castleblayney in the Championship a huge result when Vinny Corey called.

"I'll meet you anywhere," was Bannigan's reply. He got the Eircode and soon enough he was in the Monaghan manager's kitchen.

Half an hour later he had agreed to come on board and the pair shook hands on it.

At the end of last year, Corey decided to go and another door opened for Bannigan.

He stepped right through it.

"It was an honour for me to get involved with Vinny and Monaghan and I fully expected Vinny to stay on for at least another year," says Bannigan.

"But Vinny made the decision that it wasn't for him to stay on and then it came around to thinking, 'Well, am I going to give it a rattle or not?