They are seeking young Lohan out. He is buried in the corner of the emotional, incredulous Roscommon dressing-room, quietly coming to terms with the scale of it all. Throughout the ground, they are already comparing his finish to the epic deeds of yesteryear. The Seamus Darby goal is a hot comparison, of course. Most people admit they have never seen anything like this. They are finding it difficult to make sense of it.

Lohan just sits. Goals are his trade - he has delivered two in the championship before. "Yeah. Ah, last year, actually," he breathes. "Against London."

But it is possible nothing in his burgeoning athletic life will measure up to this. Lohan is just 21, and that rifled shot, in the 74th minute, has delivered Roscommon its first provincial title in a decade. So they are finding him, his team-mates, and shaking his hand and saying nothing more than "thanks".

"My mind was made up that I had to go for goal. I remember that the build-up seemed very slow, Denis Gavin was coming through on the ball and I felt certain the referee was going to whistle it. And Frankie Dolan was inside me so it could have gone to either of us. After I hit it and saw it go in, it was just the most incredible feeling."

A release that runs somewhat deeper than football came from that score. Roscommon is not a county we turn to very often. We leave Roscommon to their own devices. Ten years have passed since the county's last great sporting splash. To be in Hyde Park yesterday was to see what this new wave means. Look at Gay Sheerin, a man who toiled well for three seasons with his county team, standing on scaffolding, his arms raised, jumping for joy as a shimmering wave of blue and yellow spreads across the field.

Big Fergal O'Donnell cradles the cup into the changing-room and then walks the room, paying tribute to each player.

"This," he declares, "is the best day of my life. I'd say I have lost six or seven Connacht finals between everything, and it just doesn't matter now that I have got my hand on that cup. Maybe we got the bit of luck you need. I thought it was gone when they got the goal, I just thought, aw here we go, same old story, David Brady the hero comes on, Mayo win.

"But we fought back. You can see what it means here now. I am not saying this is as far as we are going, but this is an incredible day."

John Tobin is shaking his head. Best Connacht final ever? "Well, of course I think it is. I'd say anything at the moment. It was difficult for Mayo. To be honest, I felt the game was ours when we got the first goal, but then someone said there was nine minutes left. But we have shown that we can come back right through the league and did it again. They are just a very determined bunch with great character."

Pat Holmes, rightly, pays similar tribute to his own side. Sitting on a bleacher at pitchside, he offers a rueful smile.

"I have been involved in sport long enough to know that these things are never over. It looked like we had it, but maybe we lost concentration in injury time. But we will have a few drinks together tonight and come back on Tuesday evening. This is a fine bunch of lads and we will come back."

David Brady, graceful as ever, stops to offer this final thought.

"It looked like it was over, we were waiting and maybe that's where we made the mistake. In '96, we waited and waited as well and the whistle never came. This is hard, but I am glad to still be in the championship. Ah, Roscommon were good today and as I said to Fergal O'Donnell there, every dog has his day."