Cumiskey excited by Ulster campaign

By Shaun Casey

CALLUM Cumiskey was part of the last Crossmaglen team to go all the way in Ulster, winning the most recent of their 11 titles back in 2015.

He came off the bench to kick a score as the Rangers saw off current provincial champions Scotstown to take home the Seamus McFerran Cup.

In the 10 years since, Crossmaglen, the once dominant force in Ulster, have only played five games in the competition, and lost four of them.

2023 was the last time they played in Ulster and could only muster up 0-4 as they crashed out at the hands of Trillick.

“A reset button has been pressed because there was a lot of celebrating done after the county final, but this is a new competition and we have to reset now,” said the Crossmaglen captain.

“It’s a great time of year; there’s a change in weather and the skills really come out when you’re playing football at this time of year.

“Yes, we have 11 titles, but we haven’t won one since 2015 so there’s a big incentive now to try and push on and try to improve that stat.”

The team has been rejuvenated since then with plenty of young talent emerging in the past few years, and they’re excited to strut their stuff in Ulster.

The likes of Ryan Martin and Eugene McEntee played themselves into the starting team. Pearse Blessing picked up the Man of the Match award in the county final after nailing 1-3, including an important two-pointer late on.

Teenager Keelan McEntee, son of Crossmaglen and Armagh legend Tony, has blossomed since getting his hands on a black and amber jersey at senior level.

“It’s a completely different team now, a lot of new players have come on board so we’re looking forward to getting started,” Cumiskey added.

“The younger boys that would have played in Ulster back in 2023, they’re a couple of years older, they’re more mature and they have a lot more games under their belt.

“For the younger boys coming into the team this year, I think they have done incredibly well so far. The Armagh Championship was extremely competitive, and we had a couple of really tight encounters.

“For a lot of those games, we relied on those younger boys that have come in to get us over the line, so we’re chuffed with that.”

Vinnie Corey played in the Clontibret team that beat the Rangers in the first round of Ulster back in 2019, and he is now the Gowna manager, who they meet on Saturday evening.

“We were really focused on the county final and the semi-final before that but since then, we’ve sat down and we’re seen a bit of Gowna,” Cumiskey continued.

“They are a quality team; there’s a lot of really good attributes within their team but it’s another challenge and hopefully we’ll be on it.”