By Niall McCoy

IT may be over two years since Kilcoo’s All-Ireland dreams were shattered in heart-breaking fashion, but they’ve done the one thing that was available to them – returning to the final at the first possible opportunity.

Now Dublin outfit Kilmacud Crokes stand between them and getting their hands on the Andy Merrigan Cup this Saturday after Covid kept the trophy in storage in 2021.

Back in January 2020, the Magpies travelled to Croke Park with their hunger apparently sated after their wait for an inaugural Ulster title had come to an end a few weeks earlier, but their bellies still weren’t full.

Standing in their way were Corofin, who knew a fourth title in six seasons, and the three in-a-row that would accompany it, would cement their status as the greatest club team of all time.

The Galway outfit were well fancied having destroyed Nemo Rangers and Dr Crokes in the previous two deciders, but the Ulster side gave them hell.

It was a low-scoring affair with Paul Devlin’s free opening the scoring in the 14th minute and it was his free 11 minutes after the scheduled hour that forced extra-time with the sides sharing 14 points.

Kilcoo’s decision to raise the temperature by sprinting through the Corofin players as they walked back to the dressing room backfired though, as the Connacht side blitzed them in extra-time to win by eight points in the end.

It was a sign of the final edge Corofin maybe had on their northern opponents, and the relevance of Kilcoo’s All-Ireland semi-final with St Finbarr’s last month will not be lost on them.

The Cork outfit, like Kilcoo against Corofin, were underdogs but brought blood and thunder to force extra-time. There, it was the Magpies who soared as they eased to a five-point win in the end.

Should Saturday’s fixture require an extra 20 minutes, you’d have to think that Mickey Moran’s side will be more than ready for it.

There is a different feel to Kilcoo compared to two years ago. Back then, their season centered around ending their wait for provincial honours. In this campaign, they looked like Ulster champions in waiting – as long as they could navigate Glen in the semi-final.

Privately, they had been delighted with the media focus that had followed the Derry side as many wondered could they follow their first county title with Ulster glory. However in a tactical semi-final in front of a huge crowd in Armagh, with extra-time once again playing its part, it was Kilcoo who prevailed as Jerome Johnston’s deadly finish proved the difference in a 1-11 to 0-11 win.

Derrygonnelly were expected to provide stiff opposition in the final, but that challenge never materialised as Daryl Branagan, Ceilum Doherty and Shealin Johnston found the net in a convincing 3-10 to 0-3 win.

Branagan was their star player en-route to the 2020 final and having him back fit is massive with the player having his fair share of injury problems in recent months. His older brother Aidan will also be available for selection after winning his appeal after the red card picked up in his moment of madness at the end of normal time against St Finbarr’s.

With Paul Devlin about the tap over the winning free, the experienced player barged into Adam Lyne and was red-carded.

Crucially the free was overturned and no player would have been more relieved to see the Magpies get the job done in extra-time. The red card was harsh and it was no surprise to see him cleared.

Branagan started two years ago against Corofin and perhaps it’s a sign of their improvement from then that he will almost certainly only have a cameo here. Conor Laverty, likewise, hasn’t been on the pitch at all times this season – although he remains the conductor in chief when he is involved.

Other players are stepping up. Youngster Shealan Johnston has developed into a real livewire, Ryan McEvoy has been superb at full-back while in Micéal Rooney they have the breakout star in Down club football this season.

Kilmacud’s challenge will be a stiff one, though. They are two-time All-Ireland champions and those previous wins have come against Ulster opposition with Bellaghy downed in 1995 while Crossmaglen fell to them in 2009.

They have been in grind mode this season, starting with a one-point Dublin county final win over St Jude’s. They trailed by five points late on before a Cian O’Connor goal sparked a comeback capped by Callum Pearson’s winning score at the death.

Paul Mannion inspired them to Leinster wins over Meath’s Wolfe Tones and Laois’s Portarlington, but the former Dublin star had a knee operation that ruled him out of the provincial final win over Naas.

His teammates stepped up in his absence there and also in the All-Ireland semi-final against Padraig Pearses with another former Dub, Craig Dias, grabbing the goal in the 1-11 to 0-8 win.

In short, this may not be Corofin, but it’s no easy task for Kilcoo. Kilmacud may be missing their key player, but they have shown good battling qualities and no shortage of talent without him.

This is a Kilcoo team determined to make up for the pain of two years ago though. They love a battle – and they should get one at Croke Park – but expect the black and white ribbons to be tied to the Andy Merrigan Cup this Saturday.