All-Ireland club football semi-finals Countdown: It surely hasn't been a coincidence. For only the second time in six years Armagh failed to reach the last four of the All-Ireland championship and for the first time in five years Crossmaglen are back in the semi-finals of the club championship they have dominated more than any other side in its history.

Tony McEntee has been an integral part of both enterprises. He and his twin brother John first came to prominence in the Cross team that won All-Irelands in 1997, '99 and 2000. They were also together for the county's extended presence on the national scene from 1999 to the present.

In the early years they managed both club and county success, but, with the club's fortunes stuttering, the McEntees were there for the county's momentous breakthrough in 2002 - Tony having to replace the injured John early in the All-Ireland final. Now one match away from another club final, Tony assesses the impact of Armagh's success.

"I think it's had quite a negative impact. The club championship doesn't start until Armagh has finished their season. We've seven county players, five at least that played intercounty football all year and they're coming off a long, hard county season and getting into a long hard club season.

"By November you're tired and can get caught out by a team that's not as good as you on a particular day."

There were plenty of such forebodings along the way towards last November's fourth Ulster title. A replay was needed against Derry's Slaughtneil and even the seasonal formality of a trip to Britain caused more anxiety than expected against Kingdom Gaels. McEntee is a little vexed at the fixture that gets tagged on for the provincial champions on a rotating basis.

"It wasn't our first time going," he says. "It's a difficult weekend and something that the GAA could look at - maybe bringing them over here now and then rather than us travelling every year. The refereeing over there is a wee bit dubious, even though the referee is from here - it's a different type of football - and you may well get sent off due to a rough tackle."

The constant demands of club and county have left a mark on one of the team's highest-profile players, Oisín McConville who is struggling with a back injury, trying to get ready for what could be a final fling at club level, but also looking to another potentially arduous county season. The attrition alarms McEntee.

"We won't know for definite until he fully recovers from the operation," says McEntee. "The problem there is that he's back before his recovery time is over and whether that affects his back, we'll not know until later in the season. If it is a case that he hasn't recovered he'll probably have to quit Gaelic football at 29 years of age."

Further pressure comes with who they are - the club that bagged an unprecedented haul of three club football All-Irelands in four years. The team isn't what it was and yet the manner of the victories has been nostalgically tight and eked out in trying circumstances.

Sunday brings them into collision with Portlaoise, a talented side that coolly targeted the club championships as soon as they won the county and whose football in winning Leinster made them the form team of the provincial championships.

"I think the pressure is something we can cope with," says McEntee, "but I was being realistic in saying that Portlaoise are - or at least were before Christmas - the best team in the country. Ballina on their form so far are easily as good as us, if not better, so to say that we're favourites is purely because of our history, our experience and the fact that we do seem to grind out wins."

Of those qualities, the experience may well prove most useful. Winning the club championship involves managing the disruptive two-month break and firing up all over again for four weeks. McEntee and his club know the drill by now.

"In a lot of club teams pre-Christmas form doesn't really count. Even if you're going well at the break you still have to pick it up. There's a lot of pitfalls come February."

One coming up in five days.