Football

Rangers at full strength for Ulster showdown

Crossmaglen's David McKenna is fit for Sunday's Ulster Club final at the Athletic Grounds
Crossmaglen's David McKenna is fit for Sunday's Ulster Club final at the Athletic Grounds Crossmaglen's David McKenna is fit for Sunday's Ulster Club final at the Athletic Grounds

CROSSMAGLEN RANGERS are at full strength for Sunday’s Ulster Senior Club Football Championship final against Scotstown.

After struggling to find form early in the season, the perennial Orchard kingpins ran riot against Armagh Harps in their county final and, since then, have beaten Antrim champions Cargin and Down’s Kilcoo. With a potential 11th provincial title at stake, joint-manager John McEntee thinks his players are finding form at just the right time.

“It’s a long year,” McEntee explained.

“The way the county season goes, with fellas being out on Armagh duty and club matches being called off, the year can be very frustrating for a club footballer. It’s very hard to get a rhythm going and it’s only when you get everybody back into the fold for two or three weeks that you can pull things together.

“We’re fortunate enough that we are able to get a few extra matches at the right time of the year and everybody is playing well, everybody is coming good because we have our county men back and we’ve been able to build a system of play around that, which is great.”

Experienced midfielder David McKenna hasn’t featured in the Ulster campaign yet. Against Cargin, Aaron Kernan and Rico Kelly operated around centrefield alongside Johnny Hanratty, then Aaron Cunningham was used in the middle against Kilcoo. McKenna is fit for the final and in contention to come straight back into the side.

“Thankfully, we have a full bill of health and everybody is going well and taking a full part in training,” said McEntee.

“They’re all pushing hard, they’re all fighting hard for places. We can’t play everybody and we pick and choose who we can play given the opposition.”

McKenna’s fitness has boosted Crossmaglen’s midfield options, while Jamie Clarke’s return from self-imposed exile has done the same for the club’s attack. A sub for the semi-final, Clarke will be competing with the likes of Oisín O’Neill, Johnny Murtagh and Mickey McNamee for a starting spot on Sunday.

McEntee accepts that Cross - 10-time Ulster winners - are favourites for Sunday, but he is wary of the threat Scotstown will pose.

“I’ve seen Scotstown a number of times this season and they’re a fine quality side, they play a lot of football, a lot of good football,” he said.

“They have three current Monaghan footballers and they have a lot of fellas who have tasted county football over the last number of years. They are a very strong side. We accept that we’ve been here before and that gives us the favourites’ tag. But what does it count for really?

“This current team hasn’t played in that many Ulster finals and they’re going to go out and try and prove a point that they’re not there to live off the history of others. It’s another final and it has to be won.”

Scotstown have experienced players and a winning pedigree in Ulster that includes a provincial three in-a-row - a record they share with Cross (who managed it twice), Lurgan’s Clann na Gael and St Mary’s, Burren.

“They’ve nothing to fear at all,” said McEntee.

“They have a very solid defence, a great goalkeeper [Rory Beggan], the midfielders have played for Monaghan and [Francis] Caufield is a big handful.

“Up front, they’re very good and they have enough talent right across the field to trouble anybody and we’ll need to be on our game to match that.”