THUMBS UP….Slaughtneil’s Chrissy McKaigue looking forward to the clash against Kilcoo this afternoon
ALL roads lead to Armagh this afternoon as Slaughtneil look to win the Ulster Club Final Championship at the Athletic Grounds (throw in 2.30 pm).
The Co Derry stand just sixty minutes away from a place in the annals of GAA history if they can overcome Co Down champions Kilcoo.
Manager Mickey Moran may stay in the shadows of the publicity surrounding his side’s success in reaching the final.
But he remains firmly in control behind the scenes guiding and urging his players to give it their all for the county and their travelling supporters.
The south Derry club seek to become one of the first teams in the country to snap up provincial camogie, hurling and football titles in the same year.
But Moran’s reticence and inherent shyness mask a steely resolve to see Slaughtneil established as a major footballing force capable of rubbing shoulders with the elite clubs.
Long-serving defender Chrissy McKaigue, who skippered the hurlers to provincial glory last month and will underpin the defence in today’s Ulster club football final against Kilcoo, is particularly anxious that Moran’s attributes should be forcibly articulated.
“I suppose Mickey’s biggest trait is that, as a club and a community, we can sometimes become a little bit too passionate and Mickey is just calm, cool, and collected about everything,” pointed out McKaigue.
“He calms us down, he keeps us on a level path because sometimes in the past, we’ve probably let our discipline or our focus wane a wee bit and that has come back to bite us.”
“In the last couple of years, we’ve been trying to keep a lid on things and just listen to our wise, old head because Mickey has been around and he’s done it all before.
He added: “There’s no doubt about it, what he has achieved and the model he has created for our club will leave a lasting legacy.”
Moran’s team are poised to inscribe their name into the history-books with names like McKaigue, Bradley and McGuigan dominate the Slaughtneil line-up,
Two years ago Slaughtneil won the Ulster crown before going on to lose to Corofin in the All-Ireland club final, but assistant manager John Joe Kearney believes that the experience which the side has achieved will prove a solid buffer today.
“I think this Slaughtneil side has matured with some of the newer players fitting in seamlessly,” says Kearney.
“We know that Kilcoo will be bringing a great hunger to the table so we must be ready for this challenge.”
Veteran Patsy Bradley and Padraig Cassidy form a durable midfield partnership for the Derry side.
Up front, Slaughtneil will lean on Christopher Bradley, Sé McGuigan and Cormac O’Doherty to turn possession into scores.
Slaughtneil also has the ability to vary tactics when the going gets tough.
At the outset of the Ulster Club series it was envisaged that Slaughtneil and Kilcoo would be the two teams who would come through to the final.
Now that this has come about, intrigue and speculation are rampant and the expectation is that 10,000 fans will be there to see the destination of the trophy decided – hopefully coming back to south Derry.
Slaughtneil Abu!
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