Karl McKaigue: Slaughtneil won’t mind a tight finish, they’ve seen it all before

A tight finish to this afternoon’s AIB All-Ireland Club SFC final will suit Slaughtneil perfectly, claims star defender Karl McKaigue.

The Derry and Ulster champions have come from nowhere to contest the decider against Corofin, a fairytale run laced with late drama. They beat Omagh St Enda’s by a point in the Ulster final, followed by another one-point win over Austin Stacks in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Throw in an injury-time goal to defeat Ballinderry in a contentious Derry final and there is a growing sense of conviction in the Sperrins Slaughtneil can’t be beaten – not this year, at least. “It has been dodgy at times and we have had the rub of the green in a few games, but it is good for character when you are consistently coming out of games with a one or two point win,” admitted McKaigue.

“It definitely does build confidence. When things are tight in the last 10 minutes, it gives you confidence to know you have been there and come out the right side of it time and time again this year. I wouldn’t be too worried if we’re coming into the last 10 minutes of the Corofin game and it’s tight, because we definitely have the character, and the characters, to pull us through. The running theme of our year has been tight wins and pulling games out of the fire.”

While the Derry minnows’ defence has been superb all year, their forwards are perceived as the weak link – especially now top-scorer Christopher Bradley will be restricted to a cameo role, at best, today after suffering a dislocated collarbone against Stacks.

“Our forwards have been getting stick for the past six or seven years,” said McKaigue. “We are seen as a team with a good defence but lacking a scoring threat, but this year our forwards have been very good and pulled us out of holes in games. I know we might be missing ‘Sammy’ (Bradley) in the final but that’s a big chance for Shay McGuigan or Padraig Cassidy.”