Killeeshil’s O’Neill turns his thoughts now to a provincial push

BOTH the players and supporters of Killeeshil St Mary’s will be hoping that history repeats itself as they once again embark on an Ulster Club journey which saw them reach the provincial final a decade ago.

In 2013, inspired by Tyrone legend, Kevin Hughes, the green and white hoops graced the decider. A defeat to Monaghan’s Emyvale followed on that occasion, but there are high hopes that this current squad will do themselves justice in this 2024 competition and perhaps even emulate the heights of their predecessors from just over a decade ago.

Derry side, Craigbane, provide their opposition in their first game this Saturday (4pm) at Owenbeg. As is invariably the case, St Mary’s won’t be taking anything for granted. Nevertheless, they appear more than capable of launching a strong challenge.

There was no doubting their delight as a last gasp revival saw them come from behind in added time to clinch the Tyrone Junior title. But now that the dust has settled on that triumph, the stage is set for their return to provincial action.

“We’re really looking forward to playing in Ulster. The Derry champions are always going to be strong and we’re sure Craigbane will present a big challenge,” said their midfielder, Dillion O’Neill.

“It’s great for us to keep this season going. We’ll not be taking anything for granted against Craigbane, but hopefully things will go well. At this stage, the main aim is to take one game at a time and see where that takes us over the next few weeks.”

Tyrone teams, of course, have performed brilliantly in the Ulster Club Intermediate and Junior Championships since they first began exactly 20 years ago.

Killeeshil are aiming to become the latest club from the Red Hand county to make their mark by clinching the Junior title. The Ulster and All-Ireland title-races at those levels have grown steadily in stature, and the incentive of a Croke Park appearance for the finals is a massive one for all the teams involved.

For the moment, though, Killeeshil will be focusing primarily on the Ulster campaign.

The Craigbane team facing them defeated Ballymaguigan in the Derry decider. A late goal from Lee Moore on that occasion earned them a 1-11 to 1-10 victory over their south Derry opponents.

“Our win in Tyrone was unbelievable for us. We were doing well in the first half, then fell away until getting back into the game in the last five minutes,” added Killeeshil midfielder, Dillion O’Neill.

“It’s a great feeling for us in Killeeshil to have won the county title. It means that we’re up in Division Two again and we’ve all been just so proud of what has been achieved.

“I began my footballing career in Intermediate, and then went back to Junior. To be back up in Division Two now is a deadly feeling.

“Winning the Junior title in Tyrone means so much to this team because we hadn’t won a title in eleven years before then. It’s massive for the whole club. We got to the Ulster Club final at that time as well, and hopefully we can reach that far again.”

For the moment, though, the task of defeating Craigbane, who have also flirted with Junior and Intermediate football in Derry in recent years, will demand the full attention of this Killeeshil side anxious to maintain the momentum of what has so far been such a memorable season.