Devlin reveals his coping process for football woes

All-Ireland Club Football Championship final

Kilcoo (Down) v Corofin (Galway)

Sunday, Croke Park, 4pm

LOAD the boot with footballs, get down to the pitch and get that miss out of your system. Paul Devlin’s pursuit of perfection has been almost a decade and a half in length.

On Sunday, the hunt for superiority could come to a conclusion. Beat Corofin at Croke Park and it’s done. The best in Ireland, no greater height to reach. Perfection.

Like all good club tales, Devlin nods towards the training field when searching for the reason why he is preparing to run out onto the famous sod with the ‘UTM’ chant echoing out of the Hogan Stand.

Oh you scored a dozen frees last night Paul? You missed one from out on the left didn’t you? Down to the field you go.

Kilcoo won by eight points but you struck the post with that last-minute penalty Paul? Down to the field you go.

He is a hard taskmaster and it’s himself that has to pick up the workload.

“You have bad days and off days but football is what I know,” said the 29-year-old.

“If I have a bad Friday night and maybe missed a few scores from certain areas, I’d have to go down the next day and take the balls with me.

“I’d go to the spots I missed from just to find out can I do it from there or can’t I do it from there. Wee simple things like that have helped me along the way.

“The more I get sick of football the more I want to play it. If I’m not enjoying my football my thinking will be that I’m going to play as much as I can to start enjoying it again. This year I am most definitely enjoying it.”

‘PD’ has been a mainstay of the team ever since making his debut in the 2006 Down Championship semi-final loss to Mayobridge.

The first few seasons were tough as the ‘Bridge ruthlessly showed them what was needed to reach the top.

Then came that famous 2009 quarter-final against the six in-a-row chasing holders. More of the same looked certain until the Magpies stormed home in the final 10 minutes on a day when large sprays of water rose into the air every time the ball bounced on the Hilltown pitch.

A semi-final win over Burren preceded an easy final victory over Loughinisland and a first county title for Devlin, and the first for the club since 1937. Seven more have followed since, as well as that inaugural Ulster success against Naomh Conaill last December.

“My first game was the 2006 Mayobridge semi-final and it’s been some journey since that match. Thankfully we have had a lot of success in that period,” Devlin added.

“It’s hard to leave Kilcoo to be honest. People ask ‘would you not go travelling?’ People are free to do their own thing but you’re always going to come back here.

“This may never happen again and this group of players have given something to the club and the community that hopefully they will never forget.

“As a team we have always kept it tight-knit. The likes of Conor Laverty and Aidan Branagan have helped give advice to the young boys coming through.

“They have also showed that Kilcoo can be successful and minor teams and young ones see that and want to come through and experience it.

“People want more. Our minor team won the Down title there and hopefully our success helps bring them through as well.”

Having played non-Ulster opposition competitively for the first time ever in their semi-final win over Ballyboden, Moran’s side have quickly had to prepare for their final date with three in-a-row chasing Corofin.

“The last time I played at Croke Park was with Down in the 2015 Division Two final against Roscommon,” said Devlin.

“I’m not going to lie, I always thought that if I was back it would be with Down, maybe in the ‘Super Eights’ or another league final.

“I never thought I would be returning with my club and it’s just an incredible feeling. It is a quick turnaround but whenever you get over the line in a big game you want the next one to come at you quickly.

“You want a wee bit of rest but if it’s too far away you end up maybe thinking about it too much.

“Two weeks, I’m happy with that and I think most players would be too. The games are coming thick and fast and that’s what you like.

“The camp is good, we have no injuries, and it’s just been about getting into the routine of it again.”

That routine has served Devlin well since 2006. It’s all he knows and just maybe, it will lead to him achieving his definition of perfection – an All-Ireland title for the Down club.