Title battle

Title battle

4 December 2024

KILCOO will have the chance to clinch their third Ulster club senior title in five years when they travel to face Tyrone champions Errigal Ciarán at the Armagh Athletic Grounds on Sunday.

The 22-time Down champs claimed the Ulster crown for the first time in their history in 2019, before making it a double two years later, and will now be hoping three is the magic number.

They will be aiming to add the Seamus McFerran Cup to this season’s trophy collection, having already claimed their sixth county title in a row back in October.

They have already overcome several tough tasks to get this far and will have to be on their A game once more if they are to make amends for their 2022 final defeat and 2023 quarter-final exit.

Karl Lacey’s side were forced to fight to the very end in the quarter final and although they were unable to find the back of the net, they managed to scrape over the line.

Their 15 points, including seven from star man Paul Devlin, were enough to edge past Cavan’s top side Crosserlough – who were on the receiving end of three black cards and a red – by just two points.

The Magpies may not have not have scored any goals, but they more than made up for it in their semi-final clash with Monaghan champions Scotstown.

Kilcoo put in a five-star performance to sweep past the team that dumped them out of the competition last season, storming to a 5-10 to 0-14 victory.

In the absence of injured talisman Devlin, the entire squad stepped up to secure a place in the championship finale.

The two sides had exchanged points throughout the first half and as Kilcoo gained control before the break, Aaron Morgan’s shot was bundled over the line by Scotstown defender Shane Carey.

The floodgates opened for Lacey’s men after their opening goal and they wasted no time in grabbing a second.

Chris Rooney’s finish, and a late point from Jerome Johnston, gave them a commanding lead at the half-way point.

Two unstoppable strikes from Miceal Rooney and Doherty placed their side firmly in the driving seat, cruising towards their fourth Ulster final in the last five years.

Scotstown showed their resilience in the second period, but frankly, the Magpies were quite simply out of their reach.

Miceal Rooney put the final nail in the coffin as the match neared its close and with that, Kilcoo were just one step from glory and a place in the All-Ireland senior Club Championships.

The Down champions are strong favourites with the bookies to lift the title, but that all goes out the window once they go out on the pitch.

In order to get their hands on the silverware, they will have to see off the best team in Tyrone.

Eriggal Ciarán had to navigate their way through the preliminary round to qualify and did so by the skin of their teeth, squaring past Donegal’s St Eunan’s by two points.

They went on to beat Antrim side Erin’s Own, Cargin by 0-17 to 0-9 before scraping through once again, beating Clann Éireann (Armagh) by a single point.

Narrow victories and a bit of luck can be the sign of a championship-winning team and while Ciarán 

have proved that is something they have in their repertoire, so too have Kilcoo.

However, Kilcoo will be hoping to emulate their performance from last time out and avoid a contest as close as the one against Crosserlough.

Throw in is scheduled for 3.30pm on Sunday.