Back on Track!

What a difference a few weeks make!

Saturday's game - as most analysts were at pains to tell us - was alien to anything we've seen from Derry in the Championship this year. It was lightyears away - in terms of footballing quality - from the clash between Derry and Monaghan back in May, with the amount of attacking play and quality scores no doubt surprising the 8,000 in attendance as well as those who bothered to watch the game live on TV.

Certainly the Derry followers who made the trip to Clones will have been delighted. This time last year, we were in Clones in very similar circumstances, but the mood was very different. We've had to beat Monaghan twice now this season, and this time it's the knockout blow. Derry have gained a little bit of redemption from the no-show at Casement Park, and any hopes of Championship success can linger a little longer.

But what was the difference?

Well, firstly, stand up Paddy Bradley. After the week the Glenullin man has had to endure, producing a performance of that calibre showed the immense quality and talent he has at his disposal. Scoring 2-8 against a Monaghan side known for its defensive tightness and suffocating pressure probably deserves some sort of award of its own. And if Bradley can continue this form, Derry's hopes of success will improve immeasurably.

But he wasn't the only star on show. Eoin Bradley's playmaking on Saturday was simply superb. He set up all three goals, while hitting a couple of points himself. The brothers worked well in tandem and they were getting fantastic supply.

The reason for this was that Derry were moving the ball much more quickly than we seen in the first two games. There was no laboured handpassing out of defence (that blighted the Tyrone game in particular), with emphasis appearing to be on kickpassing to move the ball up the pitch at a higher speed. Damian Cassidy must take credit for this change, as the Derry players seemed to have this tactic drummed into them from the outset. It made a huge difference.

Players like Mark Lynch (who had his best game for Derry in quite some time) seemed to thrive. Instead of running into cul de sacs with his head down, he was constantly looking to find a forward with an early ball. He was involved in several Derry scores, as well as hitting a couple himself, when his early pass had allowed him to run off the shoulder of the ball-carrier. Clever football really, that is the most effective way of getting scores.

Sean Leo McGoldrick and Gerard O'Kane also ran forward at will (providing the all-important outlet on the wing) while Patsy Bradley put in some sterling work in a defensive midfield role. It was evident on Saturday how much we've missed him when he was injured; his presence - along with another excellent display from Joe Diver - allowed Derry to boss the midfield battle. There was no reliance on Fergal Doherty to get the ball rolling in this division, although the Bellaghy man's return was certainly welcome, and he also went through his usual amount of work. Dominating the midfield battle does wonders when you're trying to win what has effectively become a straight shootout (with a high percentage of Oakleaf scores coming direct from collected kickouts).

The reason why it became such an open game (and have Pat Spillane and co. gush with praise) was because Derry took an early lead. The opening goal set the tone for the game and put Monaghan immediately on the backfoot. By the time James Kielt palmed home the Oakleafer's second goal, the Farney men looked in trouble. The catalyst for all this was arguably the brave decision to start Fergal Doherty in the full-forward line, which clearly unsettled the Monaghan defence. But it was after taking a seven-point lead that Derry stopped playing and allowed Monaghan to get within a point shortly after the break. The Derry management will be keen to figure out why Derry let their advantage slip at this stage (and in the last fifteen minutes, when the deficit was ten points).

Perhaps the substitution of Brian Mullan disrupted things slightly. He had been playing well in the wing-forward role before picking up a knock, and Derry needed to adjust in his absence (with Barry McGuigan putting in a solid second-half performance before picking up an injury himself). A more probable reason, it seemed (from the relative comfort of the Gerry Arthur Stand), was that Derry squandered hard-won possession too easily. Having got the ball into the Monaghan half, there were too many occasions when it was put into the forwards with little thought - creating a 50/50 opportunity for the grateful Monaghan defence. I can forgive this type of play as the game approached the finish (because Derry looked out of sight), with the game won, but midway through the match, it looked like it could cost dearly.

The other main gripe from the game was the concession of 20 points. It's a huge tally to concede (especially when you've ended up winning by five points), and was a direct result of the Monaghan forwards being afforded too much space. Hanratty was producing a career-best (making up for the absence of Tommy Freeman) and Rory Woods was pulling the strings. I feel though, that it was a false return from Seamus McEnaney's side as five points came in the final minutes.

Still, the Oakleaf squad will be keen to eradictae such loose play in defensive areas. 25 points won't be scored every week.

So, in the end, a game that I had been dreading ended up being one of the matches of the season. And producing it against Monaghan was extra-sweet considering the bother they have given us in recent years. It was a pleasure to witness Paddy Bradley's performance. The third goal was a magnificent thing, eclipsed only by the ironic celebrations that swiftly followed. It was indeed game over, and Bradley was entitled to enjoy the moment. It was also ironic that Dessie Mone ended up playing all over the field (having found Bradley too hot to handle), and that Dick Clerkin's substitution was probably his best moment of the game.

Job done.

All eyes now turn to Ballybofey, where the word 'consistency' might be crossing one or two minds as we try to build up a bit of back-door momentum. If the Oakleafers can produce a performance like Saturday's you'd expect another victory, but as always with Derry, there'll be no guarantees.

Derry - B Gillis; D McBride, K McCloy, S M Lockhart; G O'Kane (0-1), B McGoldrick, S L McGoldrick (0-1, 1f); F Doherty, Patsy Bradley; J Diver, J Kielt (1-1), B Mullan; E Bradley (0-2), Paddy Bradley (2-8, 2f), M Lynch (0-2). Subs: C McKaigue (0-1) for McBride (16), B McGuigan for Mullan (28)