THERE are two days to go until his third Connacht final and Eamonn O'Hara feels there's something different about this one. He looks back at his teammates leaving the training pitch and can't be sure if it's a winning mentality, but there's definitely something different about this one. He starts musing over his birth date of September 1975 and thinks how he missed out on Sligo's last provincial title by just a couple of months.

He knows the names from Barnes Murphy to Mickey Kearns but all he has are stories. It's the same for the rest of this team as well.

"Sligo needed to move on and I really thought things around here were relaxed.

There was no great nerves amongst any of the guys, they realised just what they had to do. I was walking back to the car and there were two sentiments engrained on my mind that had been drilled into us from the very start of this championship. Hard work and belief. Both those boxes were already ticked and I think we are as good as anyone in Connacht so why should we have been worried."

SATURDAY, 7 JULY

Some things never change.

The days he doesn't want to talk about a game are the days when others most want to chat about what's fast approaching. So there's a simple solution to all this. He locks himself away in his house, avoids the news, the papers, the public. "I'm always the same the day before a game. I've said before I can find the limelight frustrating but I always try to be accommodating. Well, I lied.

Never the day before a game.

You shelter yourself from what awaits." He stays at home and goes to bed early.

He sleeps like a child but doesn't dare to dream.

SUNDAY, 8 JULY

It's days like this he plays football for. To wake up the morning of a Connacht final and feel prepared. He's had some good days in his career.

Kildare in 2002. Tyrone in 2003. He's had plenty of bad days as well. But there's never been a great day, one when he can say he's a champion.

They beat Roscommon at today's venue already this year and in a county like theirs, victory means routine.

"Yeah, we did everything the same as the last day out. I suppose we were a little giddy and an interview came on 2FM with Noel McGuire and we all turned to him and took the piss a little. But Tommy [Breheny] put on a video and it focused our minds. It was of us training and games and scenery of Sligo, these sorts of things. We went from there to the dressing room and we were already prepared and the work had been done and those of us who have been around long enough know there's no point in taking the door of its hinges. It's a waste of energy so we went out and had pictures taken, we marched behind the band, we hushed for a minutes' silence, we stood tall for the national anthem. And then we huddled and it's just something to make sure everyone there is ready for this and ready to give life and limb for this. About then it's time to kick down doors.

"We did just that and the game was still finding it's feet then when the goal came around. Mick McNamara played a ball in and David Kelly did superbly to get out in front of his man and I could see what was going to happen next so I had a head start. I just put the head down and took off. When it went in I actually was thinking of a guy a few years back who said I'd lost my pace and I was really hoping he was there watching. But when I turned back around, you just have to look back at all the boys and you realise you can't be selfish about this. Like it was a really brilliant, well-worked goal but it's not about that and if anything it was about being in the game and when we went in at half-time that's what we were feeling.

"We were sitting there and there was no great motivational talks or anything like that. We were just sitting there and we knew down the corridor what the Galway lads would be saying. They would be telling each other that if they can go out for 10 minutes and play, it'll be over.

But we just promised each other we'd crawl over the line if we had to and we'd never give up and I suppose that was still in my mind out on the pitch when my knee went.

When I went down a large part of me was saying just get up and get on with it but that would have been a disaster for the team. I knew deep down as did Tommy and everyone else but regardless of the pain I can't sit still on a bench so I was up and down the line. It was amazing.

Padraig Doohan who replaced me was immense and when the whistle went I just went over to Ciaran Quinn and thanked him because he was outstanding and while I was talking to him we just got swallowed up. The whole lot was overwhelming and at one stage I had to walk away and be by myself and tell myself we were Connacht champions.

"After that, the rest is pretty much a blur. I shook hands with Peter Ford and he said well done. We all shook hundreds of hands in the hotel afterwards and I remember feeling sorry for a minute when I bumped into Paul and David Durcan because they hadn't stayed on having been there for all the near misses but they were having none of it and it didn't take me long to realise this was their victory as well."

MONDAY, 9 JULY

Work. Regardless of everything he's on the road early, making some quick calls as a salesman. But today could easily get worse. "Yeah, it was a pain in the arse having to work but there was the knee as well and I was just thinking what if this is serious. Waiting for the results was fairly nerve-racking but although it was painful the doctor said it was a dislocated knee and a lot of fluid had got in there but it shouldn't be too bad and I'd be on the mend in a week to 10 days. It was some relief and allowed me to meet up with the lads and we went to Eastern Harps and Easkey with the cup. The lads had quite a few and I never drank so I realised when it was time to go. But sure there were no taxis so some stranger gave me a lift home.

Not quite sure how the rest of the lads made it back though."

TUESDAY, 10 JULY

"We returned to the pool and I thought some of the lads were still drunk and it'd be tomorrow before we could look forward."

WEDNESDAY, 11 JULY

"We returned to the pool and I thought some of the lads were still drunk and I realised after 32 years it would be next week before we look forward and rightly so."

THURSDAY, 12 JULY

O'Hara is back with the club, a million miles from Sunday but with Tourlestrane involved in the championship he has no choice.

"It's no problem. It's reality. I just hope the referees are keeping an eye out because there will be some guy out there who'll want an inter-county player's teeth as a souvenir, to be the big man for a night. I really hope that doesn't happen because although we're Connacht champions now, I'd like to think there's a long way left for us to go this season."