Ulster Club Senior Football Championship quarter-final: Scotstown v Kilcar (tomorrow, Clones, 2.30pm)
By Andy Watters
IF the results from their respective county final wins are anything to go by, a clash of contrasting styles is guaranteed at Clones today.
Scotstown produced an imperious display of attacking football to blast out Magheracloone in their decider a fortnight ago. The ‘An Bhoth’ outfit played to their strengths and wasted no time in getting the ball up to a quality forward unit that is led by Darren Hughes, at full-forward, and also includes Conor McCarthy and Orin Heaphey with Shane Carey adopting a playmaking role from the middle third.
McCarthy’s left foot produced 1-8, including a stunning second half-goal, in a final that ended with a one-sided look on the scoreboard but Scotstown also had goalkeeper Rory Beggan to thank for that.
The Monaghan inter-county netminder made three saves over the hour while Magheracloone also blasted another goal chance over his crossbar and it is that defensive instability that Kilcar will hope to exploit tomorrow afternoon.
The Donegal champions were far less impressive in their county final, but winning was all that mattered to them on a day that ended a 24-year quest for the title. Their attritional tussle with Naomh Conaill finished 0-7 to 0-4, a remarkably low total (that included a point each in the second half) given the attacking riches at their disposal which include Paddy and Stephen McBrearty, the McHugh brothers Ryan and Mark and their county team-mate and cousin Eoin.
Despite their low-scoring show last time out, goalkeeper Eamonn McGinley is in no doubt that Kilcar have the personnel to compete with Ulster’s top dogs.
“We have the same quality of players as all of those teams,” McGinley said.
“We have the three McHughs, the McBreartys, my own brother Ciaran, who has spent time with the county set-up. We have some serious players, and we’ll take it every bit as serious as any of the other teams up there.”
Donegal star Paddy McBrearty scored three points in the county final win but it was Naomh Conaill’s inability to break down Kilcar’s defensive screen that was ultimately the deciding factor at MacCumhaill Park. The mindset appeared to be: ‘Whatever we score, you’ll score less’. As opposed to a more attacking: ‘Whatever you score, we’ll score more’.
In the Donegal championship possession is king and defensive football does pay off, but Kilcar are not a one-trick pony. For evidence of that, look back to the 2016 championship semi-final when they registered a whopping 5-10 against Naomh Conaill and marched on to the final as overwhelming favourites to beat Glenswilly only to see them rip up the script and win by a point on a wet and windy day in Letterkenny.
So the Towney Park outfit will have a Plan B tomorrow and the weather forecast – dry and still – should suit them as will the wide open spaces at St Tiernach’s Park.
Having said that; they are unlikely to come out on top in a straight shoot-out against this Scotstown side. The Monaghan outfit’s chances have been diminished by the announcement that swashbuckling midfielder Kieran Hughes is unable to start the game because of a hand injury, but Hughes was only fit enough to emerge as a late substitute in the Monaghan county final and even without him this Scotstown outfit is a formidable unit.
Fermanagh native Kieran Donnelly has inherited a talented and focussed group of players from former manager Mattie McGleenan. They will have the physical edge on Kilcar tomorrow and history is on their side.
Scotstown’s win on October 15 completed a three in-a-row for the club and a fourth title in five years – a run interrupted by losing the 2015 decider to Clontibret – and, while they haven’t made a definitive breakthrough in Ulster yet, they have come mighty close and pushed Crossmaglen Rangers all the way in a hammer-and-tongs provincial decider two years ago.
As well as their county stars, they can rely on a supporting cast including Michael McCarville, James Hamill and William Carroll that has kept them afloat all season and saw them over the line when all seemed lost in their semi-final against Ballybay.
Scotstown have shown that they can tough it out when they have to and play with flair if they are allowed to and the result tomorrow will come down to whether Kilcar’s defensive system can stifle their attacking prowess and exploit the weaknesses in their defence.
Meanwhile, the An Bhoth side will obviously need to keep Paddy McBrearty in check and remain disciplined enough to retain possession and break down the stubborn Donegal champions when they have the ball.
A high-scoring classic may not be on the cards and Scotstown – who have the trump card of goalkeeper Beggan superb dead-ball kicking from distance – get the nod to come out on top.
