NO matter how much you lick certain wounds, damage can still remain. That’s the case for Scotstown ahead of meeting holders Glen in this year’s Ulster Club SFC Final, admits Kieran Hughes.
“These boys we’re playing next, they left scars on us in 2021,” he acknowledged, recalling the chastening defeat the Derry champs inflicted on their Monaghan counterparts in a quarter-final at Celtic Park.
Hughes himself had been sent off early in the second half of
[ that eventual 1-18 to 0-12 lossOpens in new window ]
after another off-the-ball clash with his marker Conor McDevitt, an incident he still regrets:
“I let myself down personally two years ago against them. Harsh enough call, I thought, at the time but you’re always going to get that. That’s sport for you. That’s in the past now. Hopefully we’re ready for them, better the next day out.”
The 33-year-old definitely feels Scotstown have improved since two years ago, showing their mettle again by edging past Tyrone representatives Trillick after extra time in
[ an intense battle in Sunday’s second semi-final.Opens in new window ]
“Jeez, this group of boys. We’re after coming up against a young, enthusiastic team full of legs, going to extra time and beating them. So anybody that has questioned us about ‘old legs’ and what-not, there were more answers there.”
With a fortnight between that game and the forthcoming final, Hughes was planning to celebrate reaching the decider again, after appearances in 2015 and 2018 showdowns, when Scotstown lost out to Crossmaglen and then Gweedore respectively:
“I’m a great believer that you enjoy your 24 hours after a win and that one there is going to stick in the memory for a long time. That was some effort from the boys.”
Yet he knows Scotstown will have to step it up again if they’re to end a 34-year wait to be crowned Ulster Champions, having won for the fourth time in 1989.
As huge as their performance against Trillick was, Scotstown must put that in the past, as they did after seeing off Kilcoo, insists Hughes.
The Down kingpins were Ulster Finalists last year, and winners in both 2021 and 2019 (there was no competition in 2020 due to Covid), but Hughes is adamant that Scotstown knew it was just a step along the road they want to travel:
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dipping anything against Kilcoo, it was a massive win – but the most important thing for this group was to try to get ourselves settled again after it. It took a few days, there’s no doubt about it, but I think we did that.
“We’re old enough and bold enough. We have to wear our big boy pants, hi, we haven’t done that in previous years, we’ve got sucked into stuff.”
He’s well aware that Glen will proved an even stiffer challenge, even though they also only won their semi-final by a point, with the last kick of the game against Donegal’s Naomh Conaill:
“You saw [on Saturday night], Glen were the better team by far. They just got across the line but I think that’s Ulster Club games in a nutshell – they’re nip and tuck the whole way. Hopefully it’ll be no different the next day.
“We’ll get ourselves settled during the week and see what way we can go against these boys the next day out. Hopefully we can make it a tighter game than it was two years ago.”
