'It's great to be on this journey with your best friends'

These are heady days for Watty Graham's Glen club.

In 2019 they reached their first Derry senior county final, squeezed out by Magherafelt by the bare minimum on the day.

Many viewed it, not unreasonably, as a huge year for the club, but that perhaps silverware would take more time.

Many off the conveyor belt of minor winners – the club won four county titles on the trot starting in 2011 – were coming into a team that lost its senior status for a number of years. Being competitive at the business end of the Derry championship was progress in itself.

The following season, the Slaughtneil juggernaut ended their interest at the quarter-final stage.

As 2020 started to draw to a close, two significant things happened that would transform the club.

Conor Glass' arrival home from Australia was a boost for Derry, yet a game changer for Glen. Around the same time, Malachy O’Rourke took over the reins; they haven’t looked back since.

A first-ever senior title duly arrived the next season. In December they made it back-to-back and a first trip to Croke Park saw the Glen edge out Maigh Cuilinn for a place in the biggest day on the club calendar.

While they will be underdogs facing a Kilmacud Crokes side hoping to right their wrong of 12 months ago, captain Connor Carville and his charges have serious ambitions of bringing the Andy Merrigan up the M2.

For Carville, the 'game by game’ approach is hard to shake. It’s a well-worn cliché at this stage, but it also provides clarity for each and every challenge.

It was only after All-Ireland champions Kilcoo were dethroned in the Ulster decider that it hit home just what it means to the local community.

A visit to Gerry McEldowney, a long-time chairman of the club, with county and provincial