After Crossmaglen's typically dramatic victory in Sunday's Ulster final, the Armagh club stand on the threshold of a historic achievement. Two matches stand between them and a third All-Ireland title in four years. As well as being a record in itself, such an outcome would move them to joint-second place in the football club championship's 29-year roll of honour.

At present two Cork clubs dominate the list of former winners. Nemo Rangers have been triumphant on six occasions and fellow city club St Finbarr's come next with three (although they are the only club to have won the title in both codes - two hurling wins can be added to the three in football).

Three clubs have won two championships: UCD, Burren of county Down and Crossmaglen Rangers. Only UCD and St Finbarr's have managed to put together back-toback All-Irelands.

Talk of Crossmaglen being the greatest club in the competition's history is premature. As can be seen, the above Cork clubs have taken home the title on several occasions and have sent out different personnel to do it over an extended period of time. The most successful players have been Jimmy Kerrigan and Tim Dalton, who have each won a record five All-Ireland medals at this level.

Nemo remain the only club to have fielded two entirely different teams - there was, hardly surprisingly, no one left from the first win in 1972 when the fifth victory was achieved 17 years later - in successful finals.

Crossmaglen will, however, have the opportunity to prove themselves the most successful team in the championship's history. Since winning the All-Ireland in 1997, the club has made very few changes and Sunday's line-out in Clones showed only two from that final.

Paul Hearty has replaced Jarlath McConville in goal and former Louth and Leinster Railway Cup winner John Donaldson has transferred to his home club to replace Patrick McKeown in the defence.

No team has previously achieved as much with such a consistent selection policy. The front eight, from centrefield up, haven't changed at all - even positionally - in three years.

Surprisingly, not even the two clubs who have won successive titles can compete with this record. St Finbarr's showed six changes in their starting 15 when they retained their title in 1981. Similarly, UCD made five changes between 1974 and '75 (allowing for injuries which affected the replay selection in the first year).

One interesting echo of the past is UCC's current attempt to win the Munster championship. Since UCD's second win, Thomond College have been the only third-level college to win an All-Ireland and none have managed as much as a provincial title in the meantime.

The Cork college, who are a match away from the Munster final, have been the butt of much humour because of their large Kerry contingent but it's worth noting that only one of the 1974 UCD team was from Dublin.

The other team on two titles, Burren, form the most obvious parallel with Crossmaglen. The Down side won the All-Ireland in 1986 and '88 and with more or less the same side - the three changes weren't all unforced.

No team has managed three in four years. St Finbarr's took eight years to complete their three and Nemo's best sequence was three in six years, between 1979 and '84.