THE scars of their 2021 humbling at the hands of newly-minted Derry champions Glen still linger beneath the surface but, for Scotstown stalwart Kieran Hughes, Sunday’s last-gasp victory over Kilcoo went some way to healing the hurt.
Coming up against a side managed by Malachy O’Rourke - who guided so much of the county careers of Kieran, brother Darren, Rory Beggan, Shane Carey and Conor McCarthy - it was their former mentor who had the last laugh when Glen trampled An Bhoth into the dirt at Celtic Park.
Nine points was the difference in the end, leaving Scotstown to scuttle back to the drawing board, wondering how they would ever bridge the gap between domestic dominance and achieving the ultimate in Ulster.
Sunday showed they are a different animal two years down the track, as David McCague’s men booked an Ulster semi-final showdown with Trillick.
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- Scotstown boss David McCague: 'We want to be among the teams talked about every year to win this competition'
Hughes played an integral role in the Monaghan kingpins’ late comeback too, sailing over a superb late mark before grasping hold of Ryan McEvoy’s late clearance, a subsequent foul from Ryan Johnston affording Rory Beggan the opportunity to sweep over the winner.
He took a minute to compose himself before speaking afterwards, the drama of the finish still only sinking in. And it was a moment of reflection that hit home, having watched Sunday’s vanquished opponents conquer all comers in previous years.
“I have to tip my hat to Kilcoo,” said the Monaghan star.
“They brought the best out of us today, they’ve been the absolute go-to men in Ulster in recent years, we’ve been watching them on television at Croke Park… if I’m to be honest, we weren’t ready for them previously.
“I didn’t want to play them because I knew we weren’t ready. I didn’t want to go into an Ulster championship knowing that our team’s not ready.
“Glen gave us a timbering a couple of years ago, we went in confident that day and came home with our tail between our legs. Today, we didn’t go in with the same kind of confidence.
“We know at this stage of the year you can’t just play the out and out, lovely football you might want, you have to dog in sometimes and hope you get that wee bit of luck.
“Looking around now, seeing the crowd on the field, it’s a massive win for this club. I probably shouldn’t let my emotions speak here, but we knew the work we had to do for these boys.
“If we didn’t bring our A-game, there’s not a chance you’re beating Kilcoo - they’re the best running team in the country, slickest hands in the country and one of the best set-ups.”
And yet, trailing by four in the last quarter, Scotstown looked “dead and buried” – only to summon a spirit that Kilcoo couldn’t match when it mattered.
And when Beggan came striding up the field to take that last-gasp free before the stand, Hughes had no doubts where the ball was headed.
“Not at all,” he smiles, “I’ve played with that man the whole way up and even if he had missed, it wouldn’t have bothered me, we’d just have been getting ready for extra-time.
“It was some strike – is there anybody else in Ulster able to do that on a slippy pitch with the last kick of the game? He has shown an unbelievable mentality, and makes it look like nothing. That’s why I love the man.
“We looked dead and buried with five to go but this group just keeps on giving. A lot of these boys have lost two Ulster finals [in 2015 and 2018], there’s not a day goes by where it doesn’t cross your mind.
“But I feel this team is ready to compete, and we’ve shown that. Roll on two weeks.”
