SUNDAY sees a double header of Ulster club football action in Pairc Esler as Down intermediate and senior champions Drumgath and Kilcoo take on Arva and Crosserlough respectively in the provincial quarter finals.
Both have been training hard since winning the county titles but the same will have been true of their opponents.
Crosserlough won the Cavan senior title in stormy conditions against a fancied Ramor side who, admittedly, suffered a bout of sickness through the squad in the week of the game.
Played on a day when nine finals nationwide succumbed to the weather, the decider in the Breffni county was far from a classic.
Conor Rehill was fantastic for them and he scored the first goal – a long ball in that evaded everyone in its path while Stephen Smith netted their other. They didn’t have Paddy Lynch available through injury but will hope the intervening weeks have been kind to him.
While it may have been hard to read too much into how they set up or gain much tactical insight from their county final due to conditions, it can be guaranteed they have a real hunger and fight. Having last won the Cavan title just a few years ago it’s not a completely new experience for them so they’ll be keen to make a real impact at Ulster level.
What hasn’t been written about Kilcoo would take up very little space indeed. They’ve been the exceptional team in Down for a decade and a half and, arguably, over that same period as consistent a side as there has been in Ulster.
Their qualities and threats are plentiful, their individual abilities abundant. Though they were far from their best in the county final against Burren they still coasted to victory. They have bagfulls of Ulster experience too and that’s definitely something that gives them an edge. They conceded just one goal in the Down championship and a solid defensive base will provide a stable foundation from which they can lay their game plan. They’ll also have a sense of unfinished business from last year – and a wounded Kilcoo is always a dangerous animal. The Magpies should be able to get over the line here by four or five points.
Read the report of Drumgath’s Ulster challenge in the current issue.