Taking a quick perusal of the Monday papers, it's nice to see the words "determined" and "dominant" associated with the word Derry. Obviously the subeditors of national papers enjoy regaling us with their command of alliteration, not to mention hyperbole, but we should be thankful on the week following Derry's six point victory over Monaghan, because there are days when the above adjectives could readily be replaced with "depressing" and "dismal".
Unsurprisingly, this was a game that did not hit the headlines. A quiet NFL weekend in general was eclipsed for column inches by Golf, Rugby and Soccer. The only Monaghan man getting any sort of hearing was Tommy Bowe. After all that, the differing fortunes of Down and Donegal on Sunday grabbed most of the GAA limelight - especially in the Southern press - and even the trusty old Irish News decided that details of the weekend's only all-Ulster clash should be pushed a few pages from the back. No arguments here. But despite the low-key nature of the tie, this was an extremely important victory for Derry.
Three weeks ago this blog talked about the Oak Leafer's NFL campaign having reached a nadir - or at least that was the hope - during defeat in Omagh. After such a performance it's natural to want the next game to come sooner rather than later, but the general feeling was that the three week break in the season was coming at the right time for John Brennan's side.
And so it proved to be. With Gerard O'Kane, Barry McGoldrick, Mark Craig and Michael Bateson making welcome returns, it was a stronger and more experienced Derry team that took to the field at Celtic Park to face Monaghan. Their presence was influential as the home side put two bad defeats behind them to produce a solid if unspectacular performance in disposing of the Farney-men. And whilst the starting team had a more conventional look to it, it still carried the air of experimenation, thanks to a continuing injury list that will test the squad to its fullest over the coming four weeks. Cailean O'Boyle - probably Derry's most consistent performer this season to date - missed through injury. Conleith Gilligan picked up a knock during last week's Railway Cup Final and couldn't start. With the likes of Eoin Bradley, James Kielt and Enda Muldoon still on the sidelines, John Brennan was playing with a weakened hand.
Despite that however, the forward unit performed to a level that was enough to keep the Monaghan challenge well out of reach. Paddy Bradley put six points to his name (which turned out to be the difference between the sides), and having the Glenullin man come into that sort of form will give Derry a much-needed edge in attack during this concentrated period of games. Bradley was ably assisted by Mark Lynch, and the hard-working duo of Enda Lynn and Neil Forrester help provide an energy that adds a dynamism to the Oak Leaf's forward play.
Derry's inability to win possession was a frustration against both Galway and Tyrone, not to mention the primary reason for defeat. This fact clearly wasn't lost on John Brennan who made seven wholesale changes to the middle-eight from the game at Healy Park last month. The headlines that speak of Derry dominating their opponents provide enough indication as to how those changes worked out. Derry's breaking ball statistics improved, with Sean Leo McGoldrick influential in winning ball and putting Derry onto the front foot.
Gone are the days of Derry's nasty rivalry with Monaghan that blighted three successive Championship campaigns from 2007 to 2009. Seamus 'Banty' McEnaney was something of a poster-boy for those infamous games, and Monaghan seem to have lost a little of their bite since his departure. Their first-half performance on Saturday night was especially weak as the home side raced into a seven-point lead. The inxperienced Oak Leaf full-back line was rarely tested, and it wasn't until the introduction of the returning Tommy Freeman that the Monaghan forwards even threatened scores from play.
Manager John Brennan was happy after Derry finally getting their Division Two season off the mark, but he is well aware of the challenges ahead:
"It was very important for us to get the win. We are only concerned with ourselves and we've got ourselves back into it. I am just glad for the players... We will just keep working, hope a few more players make it back soon from injury and hopefully we can build on this result."The Lavey man won't have long to wait to find out if his side can build on this one, with a trip to Kildare on the horizon this Sunday. Both teams got their first NFL victories on Saturday night and with just two points now separating second and eighth in the division, the winners in Newbridge will be looking up, rather than down.
All in all, not a bad weekend's work.
Some other thoughts:
- Derry fans might well have done a double-take when they saw a half-forward line containing Gerard O'Kane, Barry McGoldrick and Neil Forrester. This could just as easily have been the half-back line.
- Speaking of which, Mark Craig and Michael Bateson did their chances of retaining starting places no harm on Saturday night. Craig also played well against Galway before getting injured and is well worthy of another start against Kildare.
- Michael Bateson is certainly not afraid to come forward and has a good eye for a score - grabbing two points. Hopefully his injury is not a recurrence of the collar-bone fracture he suffered in 2010.
- The Derry half-back line scored 0-4. These are the scores required to take pressure off the forwards and take some heart out of the opposition.
- PJ McCloskey and Michael Friel represented another new midield duo this season. Other midfielders have included Joe Diver, James Conway, Patsy Bradley, Niall Holly and John McCamley. John Brennan would be forgiven for not knowing his preferred centre-field duo.
- That will become a concern if it continues into the season.
- Barry Gillis was a familiar face in goals following injuries to Danny Devlin and Paul Morgan. Three games, three different 'keepers.
- Kildare might be a bogey-team for us, but Derry went to Newbridge last season and won. There's enough firepower in the side to do it again.
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