I’D like to start off this week by congratulating Kilcoo on another fantastic performance that saw them crowned Ulster Senior Club Football champions last weekend.

I said a number of weeks back that I fancied this Kilcoo side to retain their title this year and true to their form, they have convincingly beaten all comers.

Before I get stuck into the game, I would also like to congratulate Derrygonnelly on their performances this season and although the final didn’t go how they would have planned they can be extremely proud of their achievements over the last few months.

It’s hard to put your finger on what exactly happened and although Kilcoo are an extremely well drilled outfit, there is no doubt in anyone’s eyes that Derrygonnelly are a better side than what they showed last weekend. Sometimes on the big occasion that can happen where nothing seems to go your way and then when the opposition are on the top of their game you just have to put it down to one of those days.

For Derrygonnelly it’s now about dusting themselves down, using this experience and the aim for them must be to get back to that stage again next season and make it count this time.

From a Kilcoo point of view you would have to be extremely satisfied with that performance. From the outset this year they just played whatever was in front of them and they figured out a way of winning every game no matter the challenge.

Derrygonnelly opted for the defensive approach and although they received a lot of criticism for doing so, I can see the rational in their thinking. They looked at Kilcoo and thought that this was their best chance of success.

I made a point here last week that Kilcoo can play you anyway you want and there are very few teams in the country who can do this, so that makes them an extremely difficult opposition to plan for.

If you decide to set up to defensively then they will patiently move the ball from side to side holding onto possession at all costs and waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Kilcoo don’t mind if they go in at half-time 2-1 ahead as long as they are winning the game and this patience means that they are extremely comfortable playing against a blanket defence. Likewise, on the flipside, if you go toe-to-toe with Kilcoo then they have the power, pace and precision to severely hurt you and rack up massive scores.

It was clear to me that from their approach a number of weeks ago that Kilcoo have their sights set on bigger prizes and the muted celebrations at the final whistle last weekend confirmed to me that their eyes are set on the biggest prize of all.

We are all fully aware of just how difficult the task is of winning the All-Ireland is, but having watched all the teams still left in the competition we all know that Kilcoo have the talent, knowledge and hunger at their disposal to go the distance. I’m sure the whole of Ulster will get behind them now.

I attended my first intercounty game of the season last night when I attended McKenna Cup semi-final clash between Donegal and Derry.

Although both teams were missing some key man it was still an entertaining enough game with both sides using the exercise to get minutes into the legs and to blood some new players.

The one major difference I took away from last night’s game, and it’s one that has haunted the likes of Derry in the past, is that their approach play is so different to Donegal’s, and that’s where their failings come from.

Donegal set up the same no matter if it’s mid-January or mid-August so when Derry were faced with that defensive wall their approach was to take it on single-handedly.

What I mean by that is that every now and then one player would make a dart with a ball but he had little or no support with him. Derry’s attacking player would carry the ball 30 or 40 metres diagonally into the wings and when he got there has only option was to kick pass the ball back to where he came from himself.

If you compare and contrast that approach with the way Donegal played then it’s easy to figure out why they won the game.

Donegal play with serious width at all times and when a player makes a burst into opposition territory he has two or three players coming off his shoulder at different angles and all running with serious pace. This type of running moves and drags a blanket defence all over the place creating little pockets of space for your danger men to get into.

Of course we can say that it’s only the McKenna Cup but for me these are the type of key areas that the likes of Derry need to address if they are to progress further than they did last year come summer time.