After his early disappointing years of senior football, Donal O’Kane is part of the Glenullin renaissance that has taken them to Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final. He sat down with Michael McMullan CHRISTMAS is two days away and Donal O’Kane finishes throwing a few darts with Cillian Bradley in Glenullin’s players’ room. There is a competitive edge […]
By Michael McMullan THE window after their championship group stages’ defeat to Corduff were the best three weeks of training Scotstown had all year. That was Darren Hughes’ take in the aftermath of the Oriel giants’ win over Kilcoo to land a fifth Ulster title and a first in 36 years. Scotstown had drawn with […]
By Alan Rodgers A FIRST All-Ireland campaign since losing in the 1989 semi-final now beckons Scotstown’s latest generation of Ulster Club winners after they made history by defeating Kilcoo in a game of rare tension and quality at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds on Saturday night. It has been a long and winding road for An […]
Ulster Club SFC final Kilcoo v Scotstown Saturday, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, 6.15pm By Michael McMullan BEFORE a ball was kicked, seven other county champions were handed the task of derailing the final most predicted. Newbridge pulled themselves from the jaws of defeat to come mighty close in a pulsating semi-final decided on a penalty shoot-out. […]
By Michael McMullan DAVID McCague knew what Scotstown were getting with the influx of new players who have energised the Monaghan giants on their way to Ulster’s biggest day with Kilcoo awaiting this weekend. Tommy Mallen and Max Maguire have added to their attack, the latter becoming a target for a kicking game that gets […]
By Michael McMullan PICTURE the scene. The dressing room tunnel is thronged. There are two extremes. Victory and defeat are a few metres apart but it’s an entire gulf. The pain on the Kilcoo faces tell one side. The music echoing from behind the Errigal Ciaran door across the hall is the other extreme. Peter […]
By Michael McMullan REWIND the clock 14 years. It’s summer in Clones. Eoin Bradley is hanging off the crossbar. His run and finish to the net, in a 1-5 tally, put the final nail in Armagh’s coffin. It was an Ulster semi-final and he was on fire but it was his last game at the iconic […]
By Michael McMullan HISTORY doesn’t kick the ball over the bar but it helps generate an image of what can be achieved as Cuchulainn’s prepare for this weekend’s Ulster Intermediate final against Glenullin. For 22-year-old captain Philip Smyth, he doesn’t need to look very far to find a line of symmetry between the current team […]
By Michael McMullan SLEACHT Néill had just nine Derry titles to their name when Conor McAllister lined out against Lavey for his senior debut in 2016. Fast-forward to Saturday night’s triumph against St John’s in Armagh and he added a sixth Ulster medal to his 10 county titles. He acknowledges the perfect timing of a breakthrough. […]
By Michael McMullan THE hurt of last season has helped Lisbellaw to Sunday’s Ulster Intermediate showdown with Éire Óg in Clones. The Fermanagh side lost out to Swatragh at Brewster Park in the opener 12 months ago but overcame the Derry champions at the same stage this year. Luca McCusker missed out with injury last […]
