7/2 is a big, big price for Derrygonnelly against Kilcoo in the Ulster Club championship final. Now, if you were to hand me a million pounds to put on the outcome of the game I probably would place it on the Down men, but it would be a hesitant wager.

Nobody outside the county will give the Harps a chance and will argue that Kilcoo operated in a much tougher side of the draw, and the latter observation is of course correct, but I think that the teams are very evenly matched.

Derrygonnelly become only the third Fermanagh team to reach an Ulster Club final. Roslea did so in the early '80s and Enniskillen Gaels twice got within touching distance of provincial success in 1999 and 2002. I can tell you, the passing of time has done nothing to dull the sting of those two defeats as it remains as sharp as ever.

Back in '99 we played the mighty Crossmaglen, who had won an All Ireland Club already and who went on to win a few more. We were given no chance either but should have won. In 2002, Errigal got the better of us in a turgid game with neither team really performing anywhere close to their best.

It is futile to delve too much into comparisons between teams of different eras but there is one striking similarity between Derrygonnelly and those Gaels teams I was fortunate to be part of. And that is a total belief in themselves. There is no inferiority complex in the Harps, which is fantastic to see.

Regular readers of this column will know where I stand on the rotting disease that is lack of self belief, and the manner in which it ways down so many players and teams from our county. It is the single biggest impediment to success.

There is no other club in the county who would have approached the Ulster Club with the stubborn confidence that Derrygonnelly has displayed. Other clubs can tell themselves they would but I simply don’t see it. Which is damning really given how our county champions needed two replays just to contest for the New York Cup against Enniskillen.

A few weeks ago in this space, we made the argument that club football in Fermanagh had never been healthier with a raft of quality sides in the senior championship. People have since told me I’m wrong, mad and in need of some psychiatric help for such a statement. Perhaps Derrygonnelly’s odyssey in Ulster to date will change a few implacable minds.

On the game itself, I think it will be a fascinating tactical battle. Mickey Moran and his backroom team are a shrewd bunch and they will have dissected the tape before this game. Moran seems to approach the game from the Bill Belichick school of coaching which is to say that he looks to take away your strengths and exploit your weaknesses. It may seem like a remarkably simple philosophy but it is surprising how many managers don’t really subscribe to it.

Moran will pay special attention to Ryan and Conall Jones but he will not stop there. Gary McKenna will get attention like he has never got and Kilcoo will be primed and ready to thwart runners from deep.

Derrygonnelly, of course, will be equally well versed on Kilcoo. Match ups will be made, forwards will be marked, and in a similar vein the speed at which the Down champions break from defence will be something that the Harps look to curtail.

Kickouts, as is becoming the norm, will be a vital area and Johnny McGurn will need all his footballing knowhow to read the field before him and choose the best option. The role of the goalkeeper is so important now. He needs not only a confidence but also a calmness. He controls things from the restart and how Derrygonnelly fare in this area will have a huge bearing on the game.

The game will ultimately be decided by mistakes, and which team makes the fewest and least costly.

Returning to Belichick, arguably the greatest American Football coach of all time, his New England Patriots team are known for simply out lasting the opposition. They make next to no mistakes; and wait for the opposition to make theirs before pouncing like a stray cat on a decrepit old rat.

Teams who don’t make mistakes are always very well coached and usually very experienced. Derrygonnelly and Kilcoo tick all those boxes. That is what makes the game so fascinating this weekend. I don’t suspect it will be particularly high scoring and think we may be in for something of an arm wrestle. But that doesn’t make it any less enthralling, nor does it diminish its quality.

Fermanagh people should be buoyed by the fact that our county champions are going toe to toe with the best team in Ulster. Kilcoo are still defending champions since no competition was held last year and they won’t want to let go of their crown. In fact they have their sights set on an All Ireland, although they might not freely admit that to those outside the camp.

The fact that Derrygonnelly are so evenly matched, despite what the bookies say, is a testament to the commitment they have shown to truly becoming the best they can be.

If the teams met 10 times I think Kilcoo win five, Derrygonnelly win four and we have a draw thrown in there too. It is on those slimmest of margins I tentatively give the nod to Kilcoo. Hopefully I’m wrong.

Sit back and enjoy a tactical chess game this weekend. Something truly special might just happen.