Kilcoo can Erne way to redemption

LAST week Paul Devlin suggested that having got one over the Tyrone champions in the last round somehow exorcized the ghost of the Ulster title they left behind last year, but that will only be done once his side get their hands on the Seamus McFerran Cup again.

Fermanagh champions Erne Gael stand in Kilcoo’s way of reaching back-to-back Ulster finals and while they should provide a sterner challenge than the young Loughmacrory, anything other than a Magpies victory would constitute a shock.

Erne Gaels required extra-time to shake off Cavan champions Kingscourt, despite scoring three goals in the opening 20 minutes. Had Kilcoo scored three goals in the first half, you wouldn’t have given Kingscourt much hope of dragging the game into extra-time.

Still though, Erne Gaels road the storm, crucially prevailed and they will go into Saturday’s game battle-hardened.

A return to Armagh’s Box-IT Athletic Grounds will have mixed memories for the Kilcoo squad, having lost four from six games there and that is coming from a team not used to losing.

Magpies manager Martin Corey has refused to look too far ahead at any point of the season. His mantra has been consistent of the next game; next training session is what matters. But for Kilcoo to bring Corey, Joe McMahon and Paddy Crozier into the club, to manage their senior team, would have been with at least a vision, if not a commitment, to bring the team to be in a position to challenge for more silverware.

The Down Club Championship is never a given, this year less so than many before it, but the Ulster senior club title should be within Kilcoo’s reach and possibly more.

The south east Down village of Kilcoo is covered with flags, there is a car painted black and white in the village centre with those letters UTM (Up The Magpies} painted on. Those same letters are repeated twice on the embankment behind the football pitch and there is little doubt they want the U to be used for Ulster.

Historically, Kilcoo have flexed the muscles, loosened the shackles and played a more expansive game of football once they enter the Ulster championship arena. The new rules enhancements has meant we have seen this in Down too, while conditions of November have to also be considered. Regardless of the weather the Athletic Grounds will be a better playing surface than what they faced in Omagh’s Healy Park earlier this month.

Erne Gaels have many star players such as the Kelm brothers, full-forward Ultan, wing back Oisin and half forward Aogán, while Fermanagh talisman Ryan Lyons, lively forward Odhrán Johnston and corner back Ultan O’Reilly will take a bit of watching.

Of course, Kilcoo have their own band of brothers, Niall, Aaron, Daryll and Eugene, Morgan brothers Aaron and Anthony, while county men Celium Doherty, Miceal Rooney along with keeper Niall Kane and of course Devlin that give Kilcoo that X-Factor and the evergreen forward says his side will relish the challenge ahead of them.

“Some of our players, whenever we see these star players coming up again, they relish that challenge is that they want to go man-to-man, they want to go try and see, test themselves and get the best, see where they're at,” said Devlin.

“There is no point in taking a step back whenever we see players like that, our players want to come up against some of these star players because they want to test themselves against the best, that's what Ulster football is all about you know.

“ And some of these star players are going to come up against, so you have to be ready to attack them and see what they're good at, what they're not good at, and hopefully expose some of the players what they're not so good at.”

Kilcoo await news on the fitness of Aaron Branagan, he came off early in the Ulster quarter-final and they hope is that he can play some part, while we should expect to see Down manager Conor Laverty in action should they need him.

“He [Aaron] must have picked up a nick a little, and he wasn't maybe 100 percent, so he just said he'd just pull out, but it was nice that the fact that he'd done that instead of just ruining himself maybe for the next round, so hopefully he touched with a full squad for the next round,” Devlin said.

Jack Devlin is Paul’s first cousin; he is another cool costumer who doesn’t get fazed and a top defender. Should he be called upon then Kilcoo have tidy defender that will do a solid job against Erne Gaels.

“He's very calm, and then he gets the ball and I be thinking, urgency lad. He is very calm, composed, safe on the ball, he gets the ball, and he's going to make the right decision,” his cousin said.

Kilcoo won’t look beyond on who they face on Saturday, they will take the challenge head on and they should possess too much pace, power and craft for their opponents as well as the ability to absorb and deal with whatever Erne Gaels throw at them.

The Fermanagh champions quite rightly will show no fear and they’ll have a go at Kilcoo, but if the weather is kind, we should see a Magpie side that are perfectly conditioned to shift up the gears and showcase their speed of transition, something that all teams know to expect but haven’t been able to stop it.

It should be a fascinating battle but anything other than a Magpies win isn’t something on the horizon. If Kilcoo are in form, this will be a cracker. Bring it on.

Saturday (November 22) at 4.30pm

Ulster Senior Club Championship semi-final

At Armagh’s Box-IT Athletic Grounds: Erne Gaels v Kilcoo.