THWACK – it was the sort of challenge that would normally prompt nothing more than a few bruises, but in Niall Kelly’s case there was an exponentially worse outcome.

Sustained during a league match in the height of last summer, the Errigal Ciaran footballer was rushed off to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he would undergo emergency surgery.

The diagnosis was a sternoclavicular joint dislocation, a rare but serious injury that occurs when the ligaments of the joint completely rupture.

A quick visit to Dr Google informs us that the dislocation generally results from a single trauma, most commonly a motor vehicle accident or a collision sport such as rugby or American football. And the thing about it is, it could have been even worse due to the proximity of major arteries and nerves.

Kelly, who thankfully has made a complete recovery, said: “It was in a league game in Tyrone. It was just a bang through the back of me, and sort of wrecked the shoulder and went in around the sternum. I had to go to the Royal for five nights to get emergency surgery.

“I had a brutal injury, a dislocation of my sternoclavicular. My collarbone dislocated from my sternum. I think they were worried about blood vessels and stuff.”

Playing in a showpiece Ulster Club final would have been the furthest thing from Kelly’s mind last July as he came to terms with what had happened. He wondered whether he’d ever make it back to the field of play, but it all worked out in the end.

“I was told, absolutely no contact for nine to 12 months. So, when you get that as a footballer, you think, oh, am I ever going to come back here?

“But, obviously, with the support from family and fiancé, and obviously the club push you on and help you through it. I’m just glad to be back on grass this year.

“I had two surgeries there in the last year or so, so it’s been a hectic enough one for me, to be fair.

“When you do your rehab and then you hit your milestones, you sort of have to just back yourself and back the rehab and the professionals that are telling you that you’re ready to go. So, I have to say thanks to the surgeons and the physios and all.”

The 28-year-old made his long-awaited return during a reserve match earlier in the season. It went according to script – no set-backs thankfully – and now it’s like he’s never been away. He’s been a leading figure in the heart of the Errigal Ciaran defence en route to Sunday’s provincial showdown against Kilcoo, and they’re one step away from becoming the third ever team from the club to win an Ulster Senior Championship title. It’s a big step, however…

“On the heritage of the club, you see pictures, framed up in Dunmoyle, and you’d just be thinking you’d love to get to that point, or be inspired by a team like that.

“So, here, we have a chance this Sunday, but it’s only a chance when you look at Kilcoo, a massive, massive team in Ulster Club. They have been there, and done it, and went on, and won an All-Ireland as well.

“There’s a massive challenge ahead of us, so we’ll just try to give our best, and count on ourselves on the day.”

Kelly was keen to emphasise that Errigal’s run to a first Ulster final at this level in a full 22 years has been a real collective effort – and not just from the more obvious protagonists.

“Obviously, it’s a team game, and you have the boys off the bench that have dragged us over the lines this year, changed games for us, and kicked big scores too, but we’re working with a panel of maybe 30 lads there. There’s boys that maybe didn’t even make a championship panel as well this year, that pushed this team really, really well at the start of the year, and over the past couple of years.

“And there’s even past managements there who would have a wee bit of a say in that team, that has pushed it as well.

“Enda [McGinley] has come in this year, and given us a wee lease of life, but definitely there’s management teams and players from years gone by that have pushed this team as well.”

Kilcoo drew gasps of admiration for the manner of their demolition job against a seasoned Scotstown side at the semi-final hurdle, hitting the Monaghan outfit for six goals in a thoroughly one-sided contest. Played on the eve of Errigal’s date with Clann Éireann, Kelly felt no apprehension about sitting down and watching the game.

“I did actually get watching a wee bit of the Kilco-Scotstown game the day before.

“Some people mightn’t watch those games, but I sort of just grew up watching games, so I watched it anyway.

“You see the pace, you see the experience, they can cut you to shreds in no time at all, so we’re under no illusions that the challenge is ahead of us.

“We have to be on it from the get-go, or we know we’ll be blown away.

“So hopefully we can hold our own and put on a bit of a performance for the Errigal people.

“They’ve been here, they’ve won a couple, and went on and won all Ireland as well, so they have the experience, so we’ll just have to try and work as hard as we can and get a bit of performance and try and impose a bit of our game on them and see where it takes us.”