Ulster Senior Club Championship Semi-final
Erne Gaels (Belleek) v Kilcoo
Saturday, 4.30pm, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh
By Peter McGrath Jnr
Kilcoo’s reward for their Ulster quarter-final victory over Loughmacrory is this weekend’s semi-final against Erne Gaels, Belleek. The Fermanagh champions have won back-to-back titles in their own county and have players who have featured at inter-county level sprinkled throughout their ranks. They will take great heart from their win over Kingscourt Stars of County Cavan. Erne Gaels started brilliantly, and a flurry of early goals had them in control of the game, but they relinquished that in the final quarter, allowing their hosts to make a dramatic comeback and take the game to extra-time. During that extra 20 minutes, though, the Belleek men pulled away again and won with relative comfort in the end.
Managed by newly-appointed Fermanagh manager Declan Bonner, Erne Gaels have come through some stern tests within the county, including a replayed final against Derrygonnelly to even make the provincial stage. Defensively, Shane Mimnagh is a wiry corner-back, but their half-back line is a formidable rank. Oisin Kelm has had a brilliant season and was named Man of the Match in the Fermanagh semi-final, while brothers Jack and Barry McCann both bring county-level experience. At centre half-back, Jack is robust and offers a strong presence at the heart of the Belleek back line. Barry is a more elusive player at wing-back, but a great engine allows him to travel up and down the field endlessly, and he is capable of kicking scores.
Ryan Lyons oozes class in midfield. A quality ball striker, he can both create from deep and arrive late to land vital scores, while Tommy McCaffrey and Ultan Kelm—who play in the spine of the attack—will pose difficulties for most defences. Shane Rooney can be deceptively nippy in the corner and has a real eye for goal when presented with a shooting chance.
That said, Kilcoo have vast quality in all departments too. They probably have the classiest players on the park and, over the field, have more players at a higher level than their western opponents. The Magpies overcame Loughmacrory and seemed to rarely break beyond second gear. They managed the game incredibly well and proved adept at landing scoring flurries when they were required.
The Tyrone men had some good moments but never really seemed likely candidates to get over the line. They tried to match up to Kilcoo for physicality, but that is not easily done. Using their vast experience, Kilcoo were undeterred and remained focused on the task at hand.
Their qualities have been written about many times in these pages, but one thing they did show against the Tyrone outfit was their ability to change things mid-game. Having lost Aaron Branagan to injury, the defence remained water-tight. Niall Branagan was ruthless on Eoin McElholm in the first half. When McElholm began to influence the game, Kilcoo quickly reshuffled the pack, nullifying his impact with Ceilum Doherty deployed there and their other resources distributed to great effect elsewhere.
With five players selected on the Down team of the championship on Saturday night, with one in every line of that All-Star team except midfield, Kilcoo have players to influence the game in every area. If Erne Gaels succeed in closing off two or three threats, that usually opens the door for two or three others to shine.
Having reverted to a more experienced starting line-up and then opting to shuffle the pack with injections of youthful pace and energy, Kilcoo appear to have found a winning formula and, when the Magpies have the recipe right, the cake is usually baked to perfection. They have a great record against Fermanagh sides in Ulster, and with a provincial final within reach, Kilcoo will be keen to do their job effectively and efficiently this weekend. As they seem to be improving from game to game at the moment, a four-to-six-point win is envisaged.
To read the digital edition, download the Mourne Observer app – for apple click here – for android click here
