O’DONOVAN Rossa’s Richard Gowdy insists their feet are firmly on the ground ahead of their Antrim SFC quarter-final with Creggan Kickham’s on Sunday after claiming Cargin’s scalp in last month’s group stages.
Some eyebrows were raised as the west Belfast men stormed into the knock-out stages by beating Ronan Devlin’s men by a point.
Undoubtedly, Hugh McGettigan’s men are among the dark horses for this year’s championship, especially with the form the likes of Cormac McGettigan, Eoghan McMenamin and Dominic McEnhill are showing for the Rossa men.
McEnhill was on fire in their well deserved one-point win over Cargin, hitting seven points – five from play – while McGettigan and McMenamin have formed a brilliant midfield partnership.
But Gowdy insists nobody is getting carried away – and there’s nothing like the daunting prospect of facing county champions Creggan to keep them focused.
“You’re always going to take confidence from beating a team like Cargin in a championship game,” said Gowdy, who has shown excellent form along Rossa’s half-back line this season.
“I think that goes without saying. But I also think that game has no bearing on the next – one swallow doesn’t make a summer, as the saying goes.
“If we don’t perform to the level that’s expected of us against the county and league champions then you’re going to get punished because this is a step up.”
Rossa and Creggan played out two draws in this season’s league campaign.
“It’s hard to judge the league games against them, especially with the earlier fixture, but it shows that we’re not too far away.
“First and foremost, Creggan are a physical team, and going forward they are very impressive. You just have to look at Ruairi McCann and the numbers he’s been producing.
“In their last game against St John’s I think he scored something like 70 per cent of their scores. But he’s not the only player that can score for them. Every position they are dangerous. We know what to expect from them and once they smell blood they’ll go for it.”
The closest Gowdy has got to winning a senior championship with Rossa was a semi-final berth some years back. While he’s not making any grand predictions this term, he’s definitely encouraged by the defensive set-up of McGettigan’s side and the brilliant form of some of the younger members of the squad.
“There have been a few changes but by and large the team is the same. I just think the players have gone to a new level. The likes of Dominic McEnhill, for example, his performance against Cargin was frightening.
“But it’s the stalwarts you rely on too – Stephen Beatty, Ciaran Orchin at the back – and I also think we’re a lot harder to break down, we’re winning turnovers in our own ’45 and then breaking out.”
There are few busier amateur sportsmen than Gowdy.
The 27-year-old doubles up with Championship soccer club Newington where he’s won two Steel & Sons Cup medals and, as captain, drove the north Belfast men to promotion from the Premier Intermediate League last season.
Asked how he manages his workload between the two codes, he joked: “Very badly if I’m honest! With the soccer and Gaelic, I can’t afford to be missing any matches as they’re critical seasons for both Rossa and Newington.”
