TOMORROW IS UNCHARTED territory for Kilcoo, sampling the All-Ireland semi-final stage for the first time.

Their broke out of Ulster for the first time last December and a meeting with Ballyboden St-Enda’s is their reward.

It’s been a rise that required graft, patience and a capacity to withstand setbacks.

The heavyweights from the province were responsible for some of the suffering of the Down champions but Crossmaglen Rangers also played a role off the pitch in the subsequent climb of Kilcoo.

“You had nothing but respect for them and what they did (Crossmaglen),” recalls joint captain Aidan Branagan.

“John McEntee gave us a talk one night, I actually thought it was Tony McEntee at the time (laughs), I was talking to John one day and I said: ‘It actually started from your fella.’

“We were sitting in a pub one night and we were a very, very average team. And he talked about them being an average team who went on to win All-Irelands and we were sitting there and some of us were saying: ‘We can do that lads.’

“I remember that night, I was sitting there half-cut and I’d say I’ve never been drunk since. He turned me that night, the speech was that good, it was unbelievable. Everybody was saying, ‘We actually could do that’. We’d a brilliant brand of football coming through and we had a load of players the right age.

“Everybody was just breaking onto the senior panel and there was no reason we couldn’t win Down or win Ulster. And at that stage, we hadn’t won the Down championship in I don’t know 70 or 80 years. It was a new era coming through after some guys had retired, so it was great for us to win Ulster even for them who had just retired and put in so much but had just missed out.

“But that night was just one night you couldn’t forget and you couldn’t have anything but admiration for anybody who was doing that. I was trying to work out one night there how long ago that would have been. It could have been 16 years ago and that’s how long it’s took. Could be more, maybe 17 years ago.”

Kilcoo footballer Aidan Branagan Sam Barnes / SPORTSFILE Sam Barnes / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE

That 2009 title was the start of an era of Kilcoo’s dominance in Down, they’ve accumulated seven county final wins since. The Ulster breakthrough took a bit longer as they were repeatedly frustrated. 2019 brought victory in their third attempt in a decider.

They had a different figure on the sideline this time, Mickey Moran providing the guiding influence after a stellar coaching career.

“He’s probably just come in with a different psyche for us,” outlines Branagan.

“From day one, the first night he came and talked to us, he talked about, he said: ‘I didn’t need to be taking another team. I had more or less retired but I know this team can do it and I know you want to do it so bad’.

“A few of us went and met him and explained how much we needed to get over the line and he said ‘Youse have got it and we can do it no problem’. So I suppose that was a big thing on its own, a man like that saying that.”

Moran drew on his varied past experiences to help Kilcoo.

“It’s hard to explain,” says Branagan.

“He talks about his career in general I suppose, different players that he had met. I’m embarrassed now I don’t even remember the man’s name. He’s a fella Philly someone and he played number 10 for county Leitrim, he was 26 when he was killed and he talked about how much football meant to him. Philly McGuinness is right.

“So we were trying to base ourselves on how he played and how he carried himself on and off the field. He was our inspiration to be like, so something like that was a past experience that he brought up of how special he was and how you should conduct yourself. Be like him, train like him.”

The Branagan family supply a third of the starting team. Aidan is the old-stager, joined in defence by Niall, Aaron and Darryl with Eugene stationed further up in attack.

“I’m 36, and Eugene is 22. It’s good craic with the brothers on the team, don’t get me wrong, but there’s plenty of arguments too. There’s plenty of battering done now! The car is hot and heavy coming home from matches, but it keeps you on your toes.

“They’ve pretty much broke on as they’ve come of the age in seniors. That’s really the way it’s been. It’s not as if they’ve been fringe players for a long time, they’ve just come 18 and got on. It’s probably tougher on me because they’re all younger and fitter, I’m the one trying to catch up with them.”

Tomorrow he’ll test himself on the national stage. Years of progress see Kilcoo one game away from Croke Park.

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