Knockbride ready to embrace final challenge

Damien Donohoe

Knockbride captain Sarah McCabe believes her side can embrace the challenge of facing champions Lurgan as they prepare for Saturday’s county final.

After last year’s remarkable All-Ireland Intermediate success, Knockbride have continued their upward trajectory under new manager Paul Cahill, who admits taking charge of such an accomplished group came with its own expectations.

“It’s easy to fit into a team that wants to be out playing football,” Cahill said. “There’s a good atmosphere and a good attitude. After the success they had last year, the girls just wanted to push on and do more, so it’s easy to get them motivated and keep them driving forward.”

McCabe feels the arrival of fresh management, allied to a talented crop of younger players, has ensured there has been no complacency following last season’s achievements.

“There’s brilliant underage coming through and they’re just mad to keep going and keep pushing on,” the Knockbride captain said. “Fresh management coming in was brilliant for instilling that new belief. Paul being from outside the club, and his take on it was a breath of fresh air. It probably pushed us on that step further and made sure we knew we were good enough to be at this stage of the championship.”

Knockbride opened their campaign with victory over Ballyhaise before meeting Lurgan in their second group match, where the reigning champions came out on top. A tough encounter against Castlerahan/Denn followed before Knockbride advanced to face Killygarry in the semi-final.

“Killygarry are there or thereabouts every year and they’ve a lot of quality,” Cahill said. “We had our homework done on them and had a fair idea of what we were coming up against. But it’s about the belief we have in our own squad. There’s good talent and a good work ethic.

“Game on game, they’re learning to bring that belief and just go and play the football they’re able to play.”

Their reward is another meeting with a Lurgan side chasing a third successive county title, and McCabe acknowledges the champions’ consistency commands huge respect.

“They’re a team that every club in the county looks up to,” she said. “They’re back in a final nearly every single year and you have to appreciate the work it takes to stay at that level consistently. We look up to them massively, but I think it takes the pressure off us. We’re free to play our own game.”

There is also a sense of history repeating itself in Knockbride. In the early 2000s, the club made the rapid transition from intermediate champions to senior champions in successive seasons, establishing themselves at the top table of Cavan ladies football.

Now another generation has the opportunity to follow a remarkably similar path. Having conquered the intermediate grade last year and gone on to become All-Ireland champions, Knockbride have wasted no time in announcing themselves as senior contenders.