Saturday, February 13

AIB All-Ireland Senior Football Club Championship Semi-Final

Castlebar Mitchels (Mayo) v Crossmaglen Rangers (Armagh), Kingspan Breffni Park, 6.15pm

If the early game on Saturday is the meeting of underdogs, then the semi-final scheduled for Cavan at 6.15pm brings two considerably more hardened outfits together.

What more introduction do Crossmaglen need other than the mere mention of their name? Since 1996, the south Armagh club have won 19 Armagh titles, 11 Ulster titles and six All-Irelands in a two-decade spell of astonishing success. Their playing personnel may have changed totally (bar goalkeeper Paul Hearty) during that time, but Crossmaglen's unbreakable spirit appears to be eternal.

As for Mayo and Connacht champions Castlebar Mitchels, they don't possess anything like the recent history of Crossmaglen (who does?) but they have been a coming force at this level for a few years now, having won the Connacht title in 2013 before losing to a Diarmuid Connolly-inspired St Vincent's in the All-Ireland final on St Patrick's Day.

Pat Holmes was in charge of Castlebar when they went all the way to Croke Park for St Patrick's Day two years ago, but now in charge are joint managers Declan O'Reilly and Declan Shaw, who have done superbly well to take the Mitchels back to this point, given they relinquished their Mayo crown to Ballintubber in 2014.

Castlebar Mitchels reclaimed the Mayo title at the end of October, with Neil Douglas bagging three goals in a comfortable 4-10 to 0-9 win over a Breaffy side that featured the three O'Shea brothers. They followed that victory up with a solid showing in the Connacht semi-final against Roscommon champions Clann na nGael (3-8 to 0-13), and they showed just what a serious outfit they are when they comfortably defeated reigning All-Ireland champions Corofin in the Connacht final last November, Barry Moran leading the way in a fine 2-10 to 0-11 win.

Mayo midfielder Moran hit 1-2 in that win, while Douglas, who is tipped to make an impact with Mayo in 2016, hit 1-3 in the victory, continuing the excellent form he has shown in both their county and provincial campaigns. Castlebar are strong all over the field, and their inter-county grouping of Patrick Durcan, Tom Cunniffe and Moran are particularly influential, as are the likes of Feeney, Kirby and Douglas, who form an impressive full-forward line, with Feeney often dropping back out the field where he does his best work.

Crossmaglen Rangers joint-manager Oisín McConville must have raised a smile or two in clubrooms around the country when, after Crossmaglen's win over Kilcoo in the Ulster semi-final, he said, in total seriousness, that it had been far too long since Crossmaglen won the Ulster title. Bear in mind now that their last crown, before last year, came in 2012. Hardly the mists of time.

That says everything about Crossmaglen's relentless attitude and no doubt it applies now to the All-Ireland race. After all, it's four years since the club won the competition - a famine where they come from. Crossmaglen's early exits in their Ulster campaigns of 2013 and 2014 obviously hurt them, and those memories appear to have powered them through another winter that had an All-Ireland semi-final looming at the end of it.

Crossmaglen efficiently snuffed out Antrim champions Cargin in the Ulster quarter-final and then showed exactly what they are about in their semi-final win over Kilcoo, grinding down the vaunted Down champions and dominating the 50:50 exchanges, particularly at midfield where Johnny Hanratty had a superb game. Old stalwarts such as Aaron Kernan, Paul Hughes and James Morgan were also typically defiant while Crossmaglen also welcomed youngster Oisín O'Neill into senior championship action for the first time, the talented teenager impressing up front.

Then in the Ulster final, they continued their incredible record of not having lost any county or provincial finals in the last 20 years (they have won their last 30 Armagh and Ulster finals). Monaghan champions Scotstown took them to extra-time, but Crossmaglen took full control after Kieran Hughes was sent off in the additional period, with Kyle Carragher's goal sealing a 2-17 to 2-12 win for them. Tony Kernan hit 1-6 in that game, and he is a sublime attacker who will ask many questions of Castlebar.

Johnny Murtagh, Carragher, O'Neill and Stephen Kernan are also primed in the Crossmaglen front six while Jamie Clarke will also surely come into the reckoning to start, having come off the bench to good effect in the Ulster final. At the back, Kernan, Hughes and Morgan have been outstanding while Hanratty has been superb in midfield and is one of the driving forces of Crossmaglen.

Crossmaglen, six-time champions, are bidding to reach the eighth final in their history and the first since they defeated Garrycastle after a replay in 2012. Castlebar Mitchels have previously lost two All-Ireland finals, in 1993 and 2013, and would dearly love the chance to play in another. 

The winners will face either Clonmel Commercials or Ballyboden St Enda's in the final at Croke Park on St Patrick's Day.

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