Hi °C | Lo °C Kevin McGuckin has enjoyed provincial and All Ireland club success with Ballinderry.
But so far Championship glory continues to elude him with Derry.
And he’s all too aware of the damning statistics that paint a depressing picture of recurring failure.
The Oak Leaf men, who host Armagh tomorrow in Celtic Park, haven’t won an Ulster title in 12 years, haven’t been in a final in 10 years and have lost six semi-finals in eight seasons.
An outstanding defender, McGuckin has been unfortunate with injuries over the last number of years.
He suffered a cruciate injury in last season’s Championship but was back playing again in February both with club and county.
Now in his ninth season with the county he has experienced at first hand Derry’s Championship famine.
“I was playing four or five seasons before I knew what it was like to win a match,” he said.
“In the last few seasons we’ve played super football in the league, but when the Championship came around we simply couldn’t perform.
“In some quarters we were hyped up as potential All Ireland champions and in time that became a burden more than anything else.”
In a sense this season has typified many of the problems with Derry football.
In their opening league match in Celtic Park they accounted for Tyrone, but since then it has been virtually all downhill apart from a win over Galway.
He said: “I’m fully aware of the task ahead, but we’ve a big, strong side.
“We’ve worked exceptionally hard on our fitness and hopefully we’re peaking at the right time.
“But we cannot afford to look beyond Armagh. Consistency has been our problem and we need to string some results together.
“Armagh are a top side with loads of experience all over the field, but hopefully playing at home will count for something.”
