By Niall Gartland

KINGSCOURT boss Colin Kelly has emphasied the depth of talent that exists within his squad ahead of their Cavan Senior Championship showdown with Ramor on Sunday evening.

They’ve been in top form since the very outset of the championship, though a rather remarkable comeback was needed to get the better of Ballyhaise with their championship hopes on the line in last week’s postponed quarter-final clash.

A key sign of Kingscourt’s strength is that they can afford to give stalwart Joe Dillon an impact role, and their manager Kelly is brimming with enthusiasm ahead of their big semi-final clash with Ramor.

“They’re a talented bunch. They’re young, they’re inexperienced in a lot of cases, and then in other cases we have huge experience. Case in point is Joe Dillon coming into most games and influencing them the way he has.

“Then you’ve got Padraig Faulkner, Jordan (Morris), Barry Tully, Cian Shekleton, Peter Corrigan, Shane Gray – they’re all really experienced. And throughout the championship we’ve regularly used six or seven 19-year-olds. So there’s a great mix of experience and youth.

“The young lads bring an exuberance, a swagger in the way they play, which is fantastic. You can’t make them physically stronger overnight, so there are areas of development that have to happen.

“But ultimately, while it might be a surprise package to some, it’s maybe not to me. From what I’ve seen in training and throughout the championship, it’s no coincidence that we’re in a semi-final.”

He added: “Other people mightn’t think so, but I feel this is a really talented group. There’s a wealth of experience between the older lads and the ones just starting out, so we’ve a really nice balance across the squad.”

The Stars came from 12 points down at half-time against Ballyhaise last Wednesday evening. Kelly says their first-half performance wasn’t a total calamity, despite the deficit, and that their resilience paid off.

“We probably didn’t play as well in the final third as we have in previous championship matches. While there were lots of really good aspects to our play, we just struggled a little bit to find a rhythm in terms of getting scores. But ultimately, the resilience shone through. They did the same against Crosserlough, the same against Ballyhaise – where we were behind, looked like the game could be getting away from us – but we stuck at it. That’s very pleasing from that aspect.

“We missed a lot of chances, so it’s not as if we’re not creating opportunities. Our issues are all fixable.”

Kingscourt will go in as underdogs against a Ramor side with aspirations of making amends for last year’s senior final defeat to Crosserlough.

The Virginia side recently retained their Division One title, so this is a big challenge for Kelly’s men. They’ll go out and give it their best shot, though.

“Listen, they’re a very good side. They’ve won leagues, they’ve played in championship finals – the overall bar is pretty high and it’s one we have to rise to.

“They’re probably on the road a little bit longer than the Kingscourt lads, they’re very well managed, and they’re a club striving to win a championship. It’s going to be very difficult, as all games are at the knockout stages of the championship.

“I do feel we’re road-tested. We’ve played Crosserlough in the group stage, we’ve faced Ballyhaise twice, and we’ve played Cavan Gaels. From my point of view, we’re battle-hardened. Now it’s just a matter of going out, performing on the day, and seeing where that takes us.”