KILCOO’s ruthless ability, their matter-of-fact approach to getting over the line in important games, was summed up by manager Martin Corey after the final whistle against Loughmacrory when he reflected: “We came to win the game today and get into that last four – so job done.” Weatherwise, it was a brutal night in Healy Park on Sunday. Moments of outstanding quality were understandably sporadic, and Corey felt the horrendous conditions were a limiting factor. “If I’m being honest, the weather probably stifled those quality players on both teams. They struggled to do the things that they would usually do. We’re blessed that (we) have a good team defence there that really helped us get over the line.”
The Magpies had clearly hatched a plan to deal with Loughmacrory, and at the centre of that was the nullification of Tyrone starlet, Eoin McElholm. They did that splendidly. A couple of second-half flashes were all that stood out from Loughmacrory’s playmaker, and Corey was pleased with how Kilcoo managed that threat. Corey said: “He’s such a good player, it was a challenge for us to see how you would curtail a player of that quality. You saw what he did here a couple of weeks ago (in the Tyrone final), but maybe the conditions boded well for us today. Maybe he didn’t get that extra bounce or he couldn’t get the touches that he wanted. It was a greasy night for any player out there and maybe that was the luck we had.”
Kilcoo came very close to the Ulster title last year. An agonising final defeat to Errigal Ciaran created a sense, from the outside looking in at least, that the Magpies had unfinished business on the provincial and, potentially, national stage. Their manager insists that isn’t a factor he uses to motivate the group. “We don’t talk about the hurt, we don’t talk about the past, we just talk about the next training and the next game, that’s the only thing we concern ourselves with. If there’s a wee bit of hurt there, well, then that’s up to the boys to use that within the rules of the game.”
The win over Loughmacrory sets up a semifinal with Fermanagh champions, Erne Gaels, Belleek. Last year, they ended a famine of over 40 years to secure the Fermanagh title before claiming a second successive crown this term. In the immediate post-match moments, Kilcoo’s boss already had the men of the west on his mind. “I saw their (county) final on telly and it was really impressive, but I don’t know what to say about them, because I didn’t see them tonight. We’ll get back to training on Monday night and sometime next week we’ll get another look at Erne Gaels and see what we’re up against. No doubt it will be another big test for us.”
This is a Kilcoo side who, over the years, have proven incredibly adept at overcoming big test after big test. Kilcoo’s last Ulster engagement against opposition from the Erne County was in 2023 when they beat Derrygonnelly 2-13 – 1-7 in the preliminary round. In 2022, they beat Enniskillen Gaels by 11 points, and in the 2021 Ulster final, they dismantled Derrygonnelly, winning 3-10 – 0-3. The pedigree is certainly there against Fermanagh sides and, while Kilcoo won’t be getting ahead of themselves, they will equally be aware of the great opportunity they have to return to an Ulster final.
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