Football

Experience of Kilcoo will prove too much for newcomers Carryduff in novel Down decider

Alongside the experience of men like Paul Devlin, the Branagan brothers, the Johnstons, Darragh O'Hanlon and Conor Laverty, Kilcoo also have a host of exciting young talent ready to drive the Magpies onto a new level
Alongside the experience of men like Paul Devlin, the Branagan brothers, the Johnstons, Darragh O'Hanlon and Conor Laverty, Kilcoo also have a host of exciting young talent ready to drive the Magpies onto a new level Alongside the experience of men like Paul Devlin, the Branagan brothers, the Johnstons, Darragh O'Hanlon and Conor Laverty, Kilcoo also have a host of exciting young talent ready to drive the Magpies onto a new level

Morgan Fuels Down SFC final: Carryduff v Eoghan Rua, Kilcoo (tomorrow, Pairc Esler, 7pm)

IF you’re looking for clichés, stick your hand in the hat and pick one out - city v country, ambitious up and comers against the established force – but there is no escaping just how great the contrast is between the two clubs who will contest tomorrow’s Ulster final.

As a result, the build-up to the clash between Down and Ulster kingpins Kilcoo and Carryduff has been like no other in recent memory.

Seldom has the outcome of a county final been viewed as a foregone conclusion to such an extent as this week. Had a vox pop been conducted across the county, you’d have struggled to find one person picking Carryduff to pull off the shock of shocks.

Perhaps it would have been the same had Ballyholland come out the right side of their dramatic semi-final last Sunday, though at least they had the benefit of reaching the last four in 2019.

Carryduff have only been in the senior championship for the past two years, and were only promoted to Division One last year.

Therefore, tomorrow showcases two clubs at opposite ends of the same scale in terms of experience, know-how and big game savvy.

Yet while Carryduff are taking a step into the unknown, so too are Kilcoo. After seeing off traditional foes Mayobridge, Burren and Warrenpoint en route to this point, the burden of expectation has never rested so heavily on their shoulders.

That presents a challenge in its own right. After all, few thrive on adversity like the Magpies - just look at last weekend’s convincing defeat of Warrenpoint. Three weeks earlier Niall McAleenan’s men had pipped Kilcoo in a feisty affair at Pairc Esler, sending the defending champions into the back door.

When the chance for revenge came, the Magpies were merciless. It was the kind of game Kilcoo live for. They won’t have that fuel to toss on the fire against Carryduff tomorrow night.

What they do have, however, is the wisdom of Mickey Moran to call upon. Throughout a long career at club and county level, the Derry man has seen it all; he surely won’t have allowed any complacency to have crept in.

Indeed, the Kilcoo players have attained such incredibly high levels in recent times that it is hard to shake the sense that so much of what makes them the best is now simply inbuilt.

For all the experience they possess in the Branagan brothers, Conor Laverty, Paul Devlin, Paul Greenan, Niall McEvoy, Darragh O’Hanlon, even the two Johnstons – Jerome and Ryan – are seasoned vets at this stage, there is a strong core of exciting youth at the back of all of that.

Ryan McEvoy, still only 19, is a serious prospect, a young man with a huge future in the game. Shealan Johnston has really looked like he belongs at senior level during this campaign, while Justin Clarke has no shortage of raw ability.

So where does this leave Carryduff?

The fact DJ Morgan’s men are unknown to the Magpies could prove their biggest asset, and eight goals in their last three games shows the scoring potential among their ranks. The raw pace of Daniel and James Guinness, the athleticism of John McGeough, captain James Connery and county star Owen McCabe can cause problems for any side.

Backboned by the Down U21 winning teams of the past three years, you just wonder if physically they are ready for the kind of challenge that Kilcoo bring. The element of surprise will also have dissipated to an extent, after the explosive starts against Bryansford and then Ballyholland that ultimately brought them here.

The Magpies will not let Carryduff build up a head of steam early on, and after that it will come down to how they handle life against an opponent who always seems to be one step ahead on the board.

Win, lose or draw, Carryduff will learn from tomorrow’s game, and few would bet against them being back in the Down final in years to come. But this one has come too soon against a Kilcoo side that is only getting better.

PATHS TO THE FINAL

Carryduff

Round one: Carryduff 1-9 Clonduff 4-11

Round two: Carryduff v RGU Downpatrick (Carryduff given bye)

Round three: Carryduff 3-10 Longstone 1-12

Quarter-final: Carryduff 3-15 Bryansford 0-11

Semi-final: Carryduff 2-13 Ballyholland 1-15 (AET)

Kilcoo

Round one: Kilcoo 1-13 Mayobridge 0-8

Round two: Kilcoo 0-9 Warrenpoint 0-10

Round three: Kilcoo 1-11 Burren 0-9

Quarter-final: Kilcoo 2-17 Rostrevor 1-11

Semi-final: Kilcoo 1-18 Warrenpoint 2-6