By John Scally

It’s the only video he has of his three All-Ireland Final appearances – but Johnny Hughes has never watched it and as he says himself: “I can never see me putting myself through that nightmare again.”

The nightmare was the final of 1983 – as famous for tunnel drama and off-the-ball incidents as for the result which ultimately meant a third final defeat for the Mountbellew/ Moylough wing-back…and his final game in the Galway jersey.

Now in a new book, he recalls a September day etched into his memory – but about which he has rarely spoken.

“I was carrying an injury, and I have agonized about my decision to play in that game throughout the years,” he admits.

“I’ve often thought that if I hadn’t started in that game and came on for the last twenty minutes, maybe in the forwards, we might have won that game. I would at least have been able to punch the ball over the bar.

“It was the closest I ever got to seeing a dressing room turn into a morgue. I was sick, sore and sorry: really, really sore and sorry. It was my last game for Galway and was a nightmare way to finish.

“Had I not played in the final I might have been able to play again for Galway the following year that’s if I would have wanted to have played for another year.

“As it was at one stage it was felt that I might never walk properly again. It was two and a half years before I played football again and I had the pleasure of finishing my career by winning another county title with Mountbellew.

“Some people only get one chance to win an All-Ireland. We got three and blew them all but that last one was just such a heartbreak,” he says.

“Early in the game we were playing well against the wind. I could see that the Dublin forwards were a bit worried. I remember telling our goalkeeper, Padraig Coyne, to take his time with the kickouts. If he could waste two or three minutes in the first half for us against the wind, then all the better for us,” he says.

“It was inexperience on Padraig’s part that he took the infamous quick kick out which fell short to Barney Rock and he lobbed the ball into our net.

“We were struggling and it was certainly backs to the wall after that, but we were still in the game.

“We had so many chances. You’d nearly have to complement our forwards. They were kicking spectacular wides when it seemed much, much easier to score!”

The game of course was overshadowed by a series of ugly incidents which led to four dismissals – three from Dublin and one from Galway.

So why did the game turn so nasty?

“I remember a hefty challenge from one of our players on one of the Dublin lads. Tomás Tierney was sent off, but it should have been that other player. Tomás was playing very well, and it was a big blow for us,” says Johnny.

“Ciarán Duff was sent off for apparently kicking one of our lads on the ground, but I think that incident looked much worse than it was. There was no real contact made.”

What then about the infamous tunnel incident said to have involved Brian Mullins and Brian Talty at the interval?

“In those situations, players get very hyped up and things happen that normally wouldn’t happen unfortunately do,” says Johnny.

“Having said that, I honestly don’t know what happened. I didn’t see anything. I never asked anyone what happened because I never wanted to know.

“From the moment the final whistle went and for the last forty years I have done everything I can to forget everything about that game. It’s the one match of my career I’ve hardly ever spoken to anyone about until now.

“It’s the only one of my All-Ireland final appearances I have on video, but I’ve never watched it and I can never see me putting myself through that nightmare again. I really have no interest in finding out who did what in the tunnel.

“All I will say is that whatever happened on the field should not have been brought onto the field in the second half.”

■ Excerpted from John Scally’s new book Extraordinary GAA People which is available in all good bookshops now.

Pictured:  Johnny Hughes lining out with Galway in an earlier incarnation, with the 1974 side that defeated Donegal in the All-Ireland semi-final (back – from left) Jack Cosgrove, Tommy Joe Gilmore, Liam O’Neill, Jimmy Duggan, Liam Sammon, John Dillon, Michael Geraghty, Tom Naughton, with (front) Johnny Hughes, Billy Joyce, Jarlath Burke, Gay Mitchell, Colie McDonagh, John Tobin, Mickey Rooney.