BURREN. Kilcoo. Clonduff. Now Kilcoo again. Even getting to a Down Final will be extremely difficult for Warrenpoint, but their manager Niall McAleenan admits that's the target they set themselves this season.
Cumann Pheadair Naofa (CPN) have triumphed so far against the two most successful clubs in the history of the Down SFC and also the sixth on that list, Clonduff, the Hilltown men beaten in a first ever penalty shoot-out on Sunday night.
The Blues return to Pairc Esler a week later for a re-match of their controversial round two victory over the holders and reigning Ulster champs Kilcoo.
McAleenan believes their hard route so far may bring benefits, but also accepts that the Magpies will be relishing the prospect of a shot at revenge:
"Those sort of games are bound to stand to you, there's no doubt about it, but [Kilcoo] will be looking at that and saying there are different ways you can get at this Warrenpoint team.
"All four [Ballyholland and Carryduff meet in the first semi-final] will fancy their chances. Hopefully we can go one step further and get into our second final [in-a-row].
"We hadn't been in a final for 41 years so it would be nice to make two consecutive finals – but we realise we've a big, big game ahead of us."
The repeat of last year's decider, won by a point by Kilcoo, is a mouth-watering prospect, but McAleenan acknowledges that his club must be better if they're to dethrone the Magpies:
"We set out at the start of the year looking to make it to the latter stages of the championship and now we're in the semi-finals. We're going to have to prepare really well and bring a better level of performance to make it to another final…
"For probably three-quarters of the [normal time] match Clonduff had the edge; I felt they brought a serious intensity and pressure to the game.
"For some reason we weren't able to match that. I would have thought we'd have been the team coming in fresher – but sometimes games do bring momentum as well and certainly they brought serious momentum into the game and we were struggling for large parts of it."
Clonduff netted three goals in the first half, and although there were elements of luck to the second and third of those, McAleenan knows the Blues must defender much better this weekend:
"It's something to look at, it's unlike us, but Clonduff have a couple of different set kick-outs and for the first goal we were caught over the top, then the next ball was a high ball in and we didn't have an extra man back. The third one was a palm in by Arthur [McConville].
"Make no mistake, Clonduff deserved their lead, and it would have been very easy for our boys to wilt and put the head down.
"But we've said, 'No matter what's thrown at you in these Championship games, should you go six or seven points up or six or seven down, just keep trying to do what we've tried to instil in them, keep the focus, and stick to the process we've been working on'. We dug out the draw and extra time brought us to penalties."
Indeed, that 'never say die' attitude delighted the CPN boss as his charges calmly worked their way back into the game in the second half:
"What I'm most pleased about is the resilience and the character shown from the boys because we were five or six points down with 15 minutes to go and we clawed our way back into the game and got the draw.
"In extra time it was tit for tat and I felt John [Boyle] maybe had won it with a really inspirational kick – but then big Arthur [McConville] went down and got an equally important one for Clonduff."
Warrenpoint should have won it in normal time, with the normally reliable Ross McGarry missing a late free moments after the excellent Ryan McGee had seen a shot saved at the end of a searing run.
However, McAleenan said that would have been cruel on their opponents, as was their eventual exit:
"I'd be feeling sorry for Clonduff because it's a terrible way to lose a Championship match; a replay probably would have been a fair result because both teams went at it hammer and tongs in a fantastic game…
"The most pleasing thing is that we dug the result out without playing overly well. I said to the boys beforehand, 'Look, if we have to win this game by a last minute point or a last minute goal, that's what we'll do'. I didn't think it was going to go to penalties – and Ryan Magee to hit the winning spot-kick."
