Football

"There’s already 14 donkeys running about out there and you don’t need a 15th..." Kilcoo goalkeeper Niall Kane sticks to the basics

Niall Kane clears the danger in last year's clash with Glen at the Athletic Grounds. Picture Seamus Loughran.
Niall Kane clears the danger in last year's clash with Glen at the Athletic Grounds. Picture Seamus Loughran. Niall Kane clears the danger in last year's clash with Glen at the Athletic Grounds. Picture Seamus Loughran.

THE KILCOO defence has conceded just 18 scores in their two outings in this year’s Ulster Championship campaign.

Monaghan champions Ballybay managed 1-7 in the quarter-final at Clones and Fermanagh’s Enniskillen Gaels registered 1-9 (1-8 in the second half) of the quarter-final.

At the other end, Kilcoo have scored 5-28 (3-14 and 2-14) and the Down champions have defended and attacked as a unit. Against Ballybay, men wearing shirts numbered from one to seven contributed 1-5 to the final total and there were four more points from the Magpies’ rearguard against Enniskillen.

Full-back Ryan McEvoy epitomises Kilcoo’s ‘total football’ ethos with driving runs upfield but goalkeeper Niall Kane bucks the modern trend for attacking goalkeepers.

Kane is a very handy scoring weapon from 45s and long-range frees but you won’t see the experienced netminder leaving his square too often. His job, he says, is to communicate with and organise the defence in front of him, find a black and white jersey with his kickouts and keep the goals out when he can.

“The way I look at it – there’s already 14 donkeys running about out there and you don’t need a 15th running out the field and losing the ball,” says the Kilcoo goalkeeper with a smile.

“I just turn up and do my job and my job is being a goalkeeper so that’s it.”

The defensive stats are a little misleading. Yes, Kilcoo’s defence has looked solid throughout this Ulster campaign but it has been tested at times, most notably in the early stages of the quarter-final against Ballybay when Kane had to be alert to a Christopher McGuinness shot in the first minute and in the second half of the semi-final when Enniskillen threw everything at them and Cathal Beacom did find the net with a fine finish.

“There were a couple of high balls in and you have to ride the storm and trust yourself,” said Kane after Kilcoo had completed an 11-point win against Enniskillen.

“Ryan (McEvoy, the full-back) is in there and any high balls that come in you need good communication and, nine times out of 10, it works out well. It was a bit edgy in the second half but we got through it.

“Enniskillen weren’t here by chance, they’re here on merit. They’re winners, they won the Fermanagh championship and we knew it was going to be tough and we prepared very well for them.

“You have to prepare well and that is reflected on the scoreboard. Yes, there were times when it was nervy – any team will get their purple patches – and you have to ride it out.”

Enniskillen saw a lot of the ball in the first half of the semi-final at the Athletic Grounds but their attacks petered out at the Kilcoo 45-yard line and the pressure the Magpies put on the ball resulted in turnover after turnover.

“You have to trust the boys around you,” said Kane.

“They had runners coming in and you have to shout at the boys to keep them on their toes and watch for the overlap. The boys stood up well. A couple of times they came through for goal chances and they were turned over so the boys did very well in defence.”

Now Kilcoo are adding the finishing touches to their preparations for a third Ulster final on-the-trot. Kane’s cleansheet against Glen last year was crucial in the 1-11 to 0-11 semi-final win and another on Sunday could decide this rematch.

“Glen are a good side,” he said.

“It was close last year and we’re two evenly-matched teams so it should be a good game for the supporters.

“I could have plenty to do and, if that’s the case, I’ll be prepared for it, simple as that.”