Football

Crossmaglen favourites in Ulster final to savour

Stephen Kernan has been in excellent form for Crossmaglen in this season's Ulster Club Championship
Stephen Kernan has been in excellent form for Crossmaglen in this season's Ulster Club Championship Stephen Kernan has been in excellent form for Crossmaglen in this season's Ulster Club Championship

AIB Ulster Club Senior Football Championship final: Crossmaglen Rangers (Armagh) v Scotstown (Monaghan) 


(tomorrow 3.30pm, Athletic Grounds, deferred coverage on TG4)

YOU could say it’s rotten luck for Scotstown that Crossmaglen have rediscovered the form that had eluded them for two years.

Six weeks ago, An Bhoth might have had the edge in this meeting - no team got within six points of them in the Monaghan championship and they have continued to impress in the Ulster series.

Meanwhile Cross, who hadn’t won a game in Ulster since the 2012 final, were struggling. Word had it that Aaron Kernan was carrying the team - this guy was over-weight, that guy was injured - and while they were expected to retain their Armagh crown, another early provincial exit looked possible. 

But come the latter stages of the Orchard county championship - the semi-final against over Maghery to be precise - all that began to change. The introduction of eight talented minors breathed new life into the panel and, slowly but surely, Cross moved up through the gears.

Armagh Harps were torn to shreds in the county final and that old amber and black magic was back. In Ulster, Cross have benefited from a hammer-and-tongs battle with Cargin, which set them up for a four-point win against Kilcoo last time out.

Jamie Clarke returned for that game. He came on for the last five minutes with the result already in the bag and remarked afterwards that his club “is like a disease”. He doesn’t have the cure and the question on Sunday will be: Do Scotstown have one?

Their manager Mattie McGleenan joked this week: “I was hoping Jamie would have stayed in America or Australia or somewhere.

“In fact, I wonder if we got him a loch of pound would he head off?”

But McGleenan is well aware that Clarke is only one of a number of scoring threats and his side will have to deal with them all to win: “Cross will not depend on Jamie Clarke,” he said.

“From 1-to-15 - Paul Hearty, David McKenna in midfield and the Kernan clan - they know what Ulster club football is all about and it’s a whole new planet to us. The big thing for us is that the occasion doesn’t get to us in terms of our players. I want our boys to go out and express themselves the best they can.”

McGleenan has a firm grasp of the challenge facing his side and that will have helped Scotstown’s preparations. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Cross this year is how they take their chances at vital times and their refusal to let their opposition dictate the terms.

One passage during the second-half of the quarter-final against Cargin brought that home. The Antrim champions were well in the game when John Carron came soaring through the air in midfield and snatched a brilliant ball out of orbit. But before he had a chance to use it, Stephen Kernan nicked it, Cross burst forward and Johnny Murtagh smashed home a game-changing goal.

The incident also showcased the reserves Cross have at their disposal. Murtagh was replaced straight after hitting the net, Oisín O’Neill came in and scored three points in the closing stages. O’Neill started the semi-final and Murtagh didn’t get a run-out at all because Clarke had returned to the fold.

Cross have Ulster and All-Ireland winners all over the field and, while Scotstown can’t match that, they are an emerging side under McGleenan, backboned by experienced, skilful and versatile players like the Hughes brothers, Darren and Kieran. Kieran can play midfield or full-forward and was used as a man-marker on Conor McManus in the Monaghan county final two years ago. He has played at centre half-back this season, while Darren has been used as a marauding full-forward.

The midfield pairing are former Monaghan players Francis Caulfield and James Turley, while Shay Carey has also represented the Farney men and Conor McCarthy is a precocious attacking talent, who scored three points in the 2013 county final win over Clontibret on his championship debut.

“For us to be competitive with Crossmaglen, we must have leaders from one-to-15 and the six subs who come on to the field,” manager McGleenan said.

“Each player has to bring a big game to the table and anything less will not be good enough against Crossmaglen. Each player must have a huge game and I will be hopeful that they will, that’s what we have prepared for.

“Colin McAree, who helps me out, has done a super job, so has Mick McCormack, so in my book Scotstown are ready to play and we’re coming to give it a great rattle. Everybody expects Crossmaglen to win and if they only win by one or two points then that was a shock, so we have nothing to lose.

“We’ll try our best and, if that’s not good enough, then so be it - good luck to Cross.”

McGleenan also said his team would go out to win by playing attacking football and not by going out to negate Cross in a dour, who-blinks-first struggle. That makes for an entertaining spectacle and, if it’s score-for-score, then Scotstown have four main options – Beggan (0-4 in Ulster), McCarthy (0-6), Carey (0-4) and Darren Hughes (3-6) have registered a combined 3-20 out of 3-24.

Crossmaglen have a better spread of scorers. Only Aaron Kernan, Tony Kernan and Oisín O’Neill scored in both games in Ulster. Kyle Carragher, Mickey McNamee, Johnny Hanratty, Stephen Kernan, defender Paul Hughes and Murtagh have all chipped in along the way, while Clarke has yet to open his account.

To blunt the Cross attack, it looks likely that Kieran Hughes will go head-to-head with Stephen Kernan, while captain Donal Morgan could well be employed as a man-marker if Clarke starts. Meanwhile, in the Cross defence, James Morgan, Paul Hughes and Paul McKeown are all dogged man-markers and young full-back Aidan Rushe could play a vital role up against the physical Darren Hughes.

In midfield, Johnny Hanratty has been in fine form. John McEntee (joint manager with Oisín McConville) poked a little fun at him recently when he said: “He has carried a bit of beef all year and he’s still carrying it, but in this weather it stands to him.”

Hanratty has certainly pulled his weight and Rico Kelly has done an excellent job switching between full-forward and midfield to help him out. Aaron Cunningham is another option in the centre, while David McKenna is fit once again. With Turley and Francis Caulfield in their engineroom, Scotstown should certainly be competitive and they can count on the Hughes’ for help and for accurate service from kick-outs from Monaghan ’keeper Beggan.

All-in-all, these are two well-drilled teams packed with quality players who’ll attack when they get the ball in their hands. Neither side operates with a sweeper, the ball will be kicked long and direct and they’ll fight it out ‘mano a mano’.

You could say it’s rotten luck for Scotstown that Cross have found their form. But don’t because that wouldn’t be fair on the Armagh men, who deserve great credit for turning their season around.

These are the two best club sides in the province and, to win Ulster, you have to beat the best. Scotstown have quality and pedigree, but Cross have a shade more of both and so they start as favourites on Sunday.

PATHS TO THE FINAL

Crossmaglen


Armagh SFC round one: Crossmaglen 4-15 Granemore 1-7


Armagh SFC round two: Crossmaglen 4-10 Killeavy 0-10


Armagh SFC quarter-final: Crossmaglen 1-14 Pearse Óg 2-6


Armagh SFC semi-final: Crossmaglen 0-12 Maghery 0-9


Armagh SFC final: Crossmaglen 2-22 Armagh Harps 0-10


Ulster SFC quarter-final: Crossmaglen 2-15 Cargin 0-13


Ulster SFC semi-final: Crossmaglen 0-12 Kilcoo 0-8

Scotstown


Monaghan SFC preliminary round: Scotstown 1-14 Inniskeen 0-9


Monaghan SFC round 1A: Scotstown 1-13 Truagh 0-9


Monaghan SFC round 2A: Scotstown 2-15 Monaghan Harps 0-12


Monaghan SFC semi-final: Scotstown 1-14 Castleblayney 1-8


Monaghan SFC final: Scotstown 2-12 Monaghan Harps 0-9


Ulster SFC quarter-final: Scotstown 1-15 Slaughtneil 0-15


Ulster SFC semi-final: Scotstown 2-9 Trillick 2-7

TOP SCORERS IN ULSTER SFC


Crossmaglen: T Kernan (0-7), A Kernan (0-6), O O’Neill (0-4), J Hanratty (1-1), K Carragher (0-3), J Murtagh (1-0)


Scotstown: D Hughes (3-6), C McCarthy (0-6), S Carey (0-4), R Beggan (0-4)

PREVIOUS ULSTER TITLES


Crossmaglen: 1996, '98, '99, 2004, '06, '07, '08, '10, '11, '12


Scotstown: 1978, '79, '80, '89