Before Derry's victory over Donegal in Omagh last night, we hadn't won a game in the Minor Championship since 2008 (which ironically also came against Donegal). To put it another way, that's one Championship victory at minor level since Derry's win over Laois in that entertaining All-Ireland semi-final replay at Navan in 2007. For a county with such a strong tradition at minor level over the last 30 years, a four-year gap without a single win represented something of a famine.
Derry's inability to make an impact on the Ulster MFC in that time has drawn criticism from many quarters within the county and has once again raised questions about fundamental problems that exist within our footballing structures. Never was this more evident than in last year's humiliating defeat to Fermanagh at Celtic Park. A disjointed performance from what looked on paper like a very strong Oak Leaf team.
That was all forgotten about at Healy Park on Sunday evening however as Derry, under the tutelage of Paul McIvor, recorded a comfortable 2-9 to 1-7 win over Donegal in the first round. Whilst the result is the only important thing at this stage of the competition, what was most impressive was the way Derry performed. From the moment Terence O'Brien struck to an empty net in the second minute of the game, this young side grew in confidence and composure and the result was rarely in doubt.
Donegal lined out in a defensive manner, but Derry were ready for such a tactic. Their passing - and ability to keep possession - was at times exceptional, and off-the-ball running to create space for men running from deep allowed the Oak Leafs to create chances and more importantly take the scores that put them in control. Conor McAtamney was listed at centre back but played a starring role in midfield alongside Peter Cassidy who scored two excellent first half points. Ryan Bell played at centre half-forward and had the power and pace to continually put the Donegal defence on the back foot. He scored a fantastic first-half point following a solo run from his own half.
James Kearney was another creative source in the Derry forward line and Gerald Bradley is an excellent finisher - tallying four points. O'Brien's second goal, which put the result beyond doubt was also a brilliant finish, a bullet shot to the far top corner of the net. Ciaran McFaul was playing in a deeper role, but he was very composed and controlled in possession and helped his side see out the game in the closing stages. At the other end of the field, Derry defended very well. Some mistakes crept into the play when the game looked won, but overall every individual defender tackled excellently and the defence as a whole kept Donegal out of their scoring zone. Having said that, the Tír Chonaill attack was very anemic for the most part and this Derry defence will be judged on how they perform in the matches ahead.
It was surprising in some respects to see Donegal play in a system similar to their senior counterparts. We've seen Donegal perform in a defensive style at Under-21 level, but it doesn't seem right to restrict 16 and 17 year olds in such a manner, and it was a tactic that backfired for the Tír Chonaill youngsters last night. Whenever Derry won possession, the three Donegal half-forwards turned to go deep into their own defence, meaning that for large parts of the game they had 12 or 13 men in their own half. The net result of this was that when the Donegal full-forward line got on the ball they were totally isolated, and in the absence of any support they where left to try long-range shots with a limited degree of success.
Derry's tactics however were spot on. Paul McIvor deserves a lot of credit for putting such a strong side together that not only has a nice mix of physicality and creativity, but also that plays to its strengths. The team's key men were constantly in the game and bar some sloppy play when Derry were ten points to the good - that brought Donegal to within five points - on no sector of the field did we look like getting exposed. It's also refreshing to see a Derry team showing some variety on their own kickouts. Why kick percentage ball to the opposition when you're in control of the game?
It's probably a bit early to draw comparisons with the 2002 and 2007 vintage but Paul McIvor will be very pleased with what he saw. He's unlikely to dwell on it too much however, knowing that either Tyrone or Armagh will be awaiting his side in the semi-final at the end of June. There will be plenty at stake in that game. Win it and not only will Derry appear in an Ulster Final, but they will be guaranteed a spot in the All-Ireland quarter-final. History has taught us that minor teams tend to improve as the season goes on, so hopefully there's even more to come from this promising Derry side.
Monday 28 May 2012
Thursday 17 May 2012
Alternative Ulster
With the Ulster Senior Football Championship starting this weekend, we look ahead to a competition that may have lost some of its lustre but still holds plenty of appeal for Derry...
It used to be that thoughts of the Ulster Championship had us longing for the beginning of the summer. Feelings of optimism, hope and anticipation would come sharply into focus around about the start of May. But the overriding emotion was that of excitement. Just cast your minds back to the halcyon days of the early 90's, when Derry were preparing for do-or-die battles with the likes of Tyrone and Down in the first round. The hype was massive and tickets scarce as the excitement in the county reached fever pitch. The start of the Championship was one of the high points of the year.
But not now. Now, the start of the Ulster SFC is more likely to be met with groans of despair as opposed to shrieks of joy. Cavan versus Donegal in Breffni Park certainly doesn't whet the appetite. It was a horrible fixture last year and should be the same again in 2012. At least the TV companies have the good sense not to show it live. Fermanagh against Down and Monaghan versus Antrim won't be much fun either. They would have been interesting enough matches if the Ulster Championship still had the knockout element, but it doesn't. It's hard for the football-watching public to get excited about a match in May - three months removed from the business-end of the season - when both participants will have their Championship fate decided in another place and time. The truth is, the Ulster Championship does not sparkle like it used to, no matter how the media try to dress it up. And that's a shame, because derby matches against our nearest and dearest, with Championship survival at stake is part of what makes the GAA so special. It made the Ulster title worth winning.
Despite all that, we Derry folk cannot afford to just dismiss the Ulster Championship as a secondary competition, regardless of our recent abysmal record in it (which, by the way, has a direct correlation with the introduction of the qualifier format). We'd jump at the chance to lift the Anglo Celt Cup in July - players and supporters alike - but how can this season be the exception to the 13-year rule?
One thing we have going in our favour is that our opposition doesn't really know what kind of shape we are in, so they will struggle to prepare effectively for the challenge we throw at them. The only problem with that, is that we are none the wiser ourselves. Such was the level of injuries sustained at the start of the year and the paucity of performance throughout the NFL, John Brennan's team selection on June 16 will be a best-guess. Not ideal preparation for a Championship campaign, but we've tried virtually everything else in recent years, so what's the worst that can happen?
Another issue facing us, although it might actually turn out to be an advantage, is that we don't yet know who we will be playing. The good thing about this is that we won't have spent the past six months preparing for just one team. In 2008 and 2009 we were guilty of placing all our focus on the Donegal and Monaghan first round games. Fair enough, we won both matches, but when it came to the semi-finals we were clueless. Couldn't adapt to a different challenge in a short space of time.
Of course probability and logic suggests we will be playing Donegal come June 16th, but no guarantee. This could well be a very difficult summer for Jim McGuinness' side and it is highly unlikely that they will retain their Ulster crown. Not only do they have the preliminary round obstacle to overcome for another year, but they must deal with the potential onset of second-season syndrome. Last year the Donegal players and especially management received a high level of unwarranted abuse for not playing the game the way in which the so-called experts wanted them to. It wouldn't have been an issue had they been knocked out in the early stages, but they won Ulster and made a pretty good stab at the All-Ireland. The ultra-defensive system that yielded so much success was built on hard-work, high energy levels and ferocious concentration. When they went three and four points behind in games, the players were willing to spill every last ounce in order to take their team to victory. If they find themselves in a similar position in this year's Championship, will the same desire be there? Will they continue down the same self-sacrificial path that exudes full belief in their manager's system? Probably not. With Kevin Cassidy gone and Michael Murphy a fitness doubt, the Tír Chonaill men will struggle in Ulster, although they should get past Cavan and have enough about them to at least make the All-Ireland quarter-final stage.
All of which should be good news for Derry. If we can get our key men on the pitch by June, we should be the fresher outfit, and playing in Ballybofey won't be too much of a concern as we have plenty of recent experience there. Perhaps the biggest thing in our favour though is our first-round record in the Ulster Championship. In the last 25 years, we have reached 20 semi-finals. That's pretty formidable form. So don't be writing off our chances in the first round just yet.
And if we end up playing Cavan in Celtic Park, then so much the better. The Breffni-men may be re-energised following the arrival of Terry Hyland as manager on the back of underage success, but beating both Donegal and Derry is too tall an order for them.
Managing to get out of the first round would represent something of a success for the Oak Leafers considering the way 2012 has started, but how far we go beyond that - either in Ulster or the All-Ireland Championship - is more of a concern. Not to mention nigh on impossible to predict, as we obviously don't know yet who the potential Ulster semi-final opponents might be either. What we do know, is that it would be one of Tyrone or Armagh. All known form and conventional wisdom points to Tyrone emerging from their game with the Orchard-men in the Athletic Grounds, but it won't be easy for them. They will miss Brian Dooher, Brian McGuigan, Kevin Hughes and Philip Jordan. Seasoned championship campaigners. Whilst young talent is there, it is yet unproven, and it will be up to the old guard like Sean Cavanagh and Stephen O'Neill to navigate the Red Hands to further success. Armagh have a high-profile retiree themselves in Steven McDonnell. His absence makes Jamie Clarke look like a lonely figure in the Armagh full-forward line, but expect Paddy O'Rourke to take the nearest midfielder, slap a number 14 jersey on his back and ask his side to rain high balls on a susceptible Tyrone full-back line. It might just work, but don't hold your breath. This is the key match in the 2012 Ulster SFC. If Tyrone come through they will be massive favourites to win the title, but if Armagh win, then the competition is blown wide open.
The other side of the draw is altogether more straight-forward. Despite the absence of Benny Coulter, Marty Clarke and Dan Gordon, Down should ease their way to the Ulster Final (at 11/2 they probably represent best value to win Ulster). James McCartan's side have been playing at a high level now for a few years and are too well developed as a squad to be troubled by Fermanagh, Antrim or Monaghan (three Division 3 teams in 2013). In fact, the loss of some of their key players should help focus them and guard against complacency. If Derry were to go on a run and reach the Final, the Mourne-men certainly wouldn't be the worst opposition for us. They play an open brand of football that would test our defence, but would also allow for plenty of scoring opportunities at the other end. And at this stage, the Oak Leafers look like they have a better set of forwards.
As always however, the problem with Derry lies in actually reaching the Final. 2011 made a refreshing change, but one year on, the path to repeating that feat looks much more treacherous. How much of it we negotiate depends on the fitness of the squad and the opposition that lands before us. Form suggests that we could be underdogs in every game, but the Ulster Championship has a habit of throwing up a surprise result. Hopefully we will be on the right side of it for once.
It used to be that thoughts of the Ulster Championship had us longing for the beginning of the summer. Feelings of optimism, hope and anticipation would come sharply into focus around about the start of May. But the overriding emotion was that of excitement. Just cast your minds back to the halcyon days of the early 90's, when Derry were preparing for do-or-die battles with the likes of Tyrone and Down in the first round. The hype was massive and tickets scarce as the excitement in the county reached fever pitch. The start of the Championship was one of the high points of the year.
Despite all that, we Derry folk cannot afford to just dismiss the Ulster Championship as a secondary competition, regardless of our recent abysmal record in it (which, by the way, has a direct correlation with the introduction of the qualifier format). We'd jump at the chance to lift the Anglo Celt Cup in July - players and supporters alike - but how can this season be the exception to the 13-year rule?
One thing we have going in our favour is that our opposition doesn't really know what kind of shape we are in, so they will struggle to prepare effectively for the challenge we throw at them. The only problem with that, is that we are none the wiser ourselves. Such was the level of injuries sustained at the start of the year and the paucity of performance throughout the NFL, John Brennan's team selection on June 16 will be a best-guess. Not ideal preparation for a Championship campaign, but we've tried virtually everything else in recent years, so what's the worst that can happen?
Another issue facing us, although it might actually turn out to be an advantage, is that we don't yet know who we will be playing. The good thing about this is that we won't have spent the past six months preparing for just one team. In 2008 and 2009 we were guilty of placing all our focus on the Donegal and Monaghan first round games. Fair enough, we won both matches, but when it came to the semi-finals we were clueless. Couldn't adapt to a different challenge in a short space of time.
Of course probability and logic suggests we will be playing Donegal come June 16th, but no guarantee. This could well be a very difficult summer for Jim McGuinness' side and it is highly unlikely that they will retain their Ulster crown. Not only do they have the preliminary round obstacle to overcome for another year, but they must deal with the potential onset of second-season syndrome. Last year the Donegal players and especially management received a high level of unwarranted abuse for not playing the game the way in which the so-called experts wanted them to. It wouldn't have been an issue had they been knocked out in the early stages, but they won Ulster and made a pretty good stab at the All-Ireland. The ultra-defensive system that yielded so much success was built on hard-work, high energy levels and ferocious concentration. When they went three and four points behind in games, the players were willing to spill every last ounce in order to take their team to victory. If they find themselves in a similar position in this year's Championship, will the same desire be there? Will they continue down the same self-sacrificial path that exudes full belief in their manager's system? Probably not. With Kevin Cassidy gone and Michael Murphy a fitness doubt, the Tír Chonaill men will struggle in Ulster, although they should get past Cavan and have enough about them to at least make the All-Ireland quarter-final stage.
All of which should be good news for Derry. If we can get our key men on the pitch by June, we should be the fresher outfit, and playing in Ballybofey won't be too much of a concern as we have plenty of recent experience there. Perhaps the biggest thing in our favour though is our first-round record in the Ulster Championship. In the last 25 years, we have reached 20 semi-finals. That's pretty formidable form. So don't be writing off our chances in the first round just yet.
And if we end up playing Cavan in Celtic Park, then so much the better. The Breffni-men may be re-energised following the arrival of Terry Hyland as manager on the back of underage success, but beating both Donegal and Derry is too tall an order for them.
The other side of the draw is altogether more straight-forward. Despite the absence of Benny Coulter, Marty Clarke and Dan Gordon, Down should ease their way to the Ulster Final (at 11/2 they probably represent best value to win Ulster). James McCartan's side have been playing at a high level now for a few years and are too well developed as a squad to be troubled by Fermanagh, Antrim or Monaghan (three Division 3 teams in 2013). In fact, the loss of some of their key players should help focus them and guard against complacency. If Derry were to go on a run and reach the Final, the Mourne-men certainly wouldn't be the worst opposition for us. They play an open brand of football that would test our defence, but would also allow for plenty of scoring opportunities at the other end. And at this stage, the Oak Leafers look like they have a better set of forwards.
As always however, the problem with Derry lies in actually reaching the Final. 2011 made a refreshing change, but one year on, the path to repeating that feat looks much more treacherous. How much of it we negotiate depends on the fitness of the squad and the opposition that lands before us. Form suggests that we could be underdogs in every game, but the Ulster Championship has a habit of throwing up a surprise result. Hopefully we will be on the right side of it for once.
Monday 14 May 2012
Derry's best 15 of the past 50 years
The Irish Independent has an excellent supplement in today's paper, where it picks every county's best Championship 15 of the last 50 years. With players being picked from the fairly arbitrary period of 1962-2012 (although no more arbitrary than the 'post-war' timeframe that people randomly add to certain statistics), it means that selectors of the Derry football team didn't have to concern themselves with the All-Ireland Final side of 1958.That makes this exercise seem pretty irrelevant, especially when the team is picked by southern journalists who would not have seen as many Derry performances over the last 50 years than some closer to home. However, nothing gets a bit of debate going like the selection of a greatest ever team, so here is the Oak Leaf side that was picked:
Damien McCusker
Kieran McKeever, Tony Scullion, Sean Martin Lockhart
Anthony McGurk, Henry Downey, Gary Coleman
Anthony Tohill, Brian McGilligan
Sean O'Connell, Mickey Niblock, Dermot McNicholl
Enda Muldoon, Enda Gormley, Paddy Bradley
Not a bad effort from the Independent's selectors there, and certainly a good case can be made for all fifteen.
Damian McCusker's main competition for the goalkeeper spot would have come from John Somers, but McCusker has an All-Ireland medal, which generally holds some sway during the picking of these types of teams.
Not a bad full back line. The opposing forward line certainly wouldn't get much change out of them. According to the accompanying article, Hugh Francis Gribben was also considered for the full-back berth.
Some contention over the half-back line in that Anthony McGurk - who won All-Stars at both corner forward (1973) and centre half-back (1975) - was selected at right half-back. Jim McKeever (in the article) reckons McGurk played his best football there. Fair enough, but younger brother Johnny might feel hard done by. Downey and Coleman were probably the first names on the sheet. Joe Irwin and Gerry O'Loughlin might have been considered.
No controversy over the midfield partnership either. Between McGilligan and Tohill that pairing had it all. And they delivered Sam. Jim McKeever was at his best before 1962, while Tom McGuiness could have been another option. A more recent possibility is Fergal Doherty, who had ten exellent years in an Oak Leaf shirt.
The half-forward line has always been our achilles heel. Even in 1993. But the Irish Independent journalists have done a good job in finally finding us a good one. O'Connell, Niblock and McNicholl? What a strong, powerful and athletic half-forward line that would have been. They would have taken a score or two as well. There would have been no arguments if Gerry McElhinney, who won an All-Star award at right half-forward in 1975, was named in the fifteen. At 19 years old, he was then the youngest ever recipient of an All-Star award. Ironically, Dermot McNicholl then became the youngest recipient in 1984.
There was always going to be some debate over the full-forward line. Enda Gormley was a simply brilliant forward and we haven't yet replaced him, so it's good to see him selected (although maybe him and Enda Muldoon could swap). It's at the expense of Joe Brolly however, who'll never write for the Independent now. Bradley and Muldoon simply couldn't be left out. Great forward line.
And a great team all-round. But we'd likely still lose in the Ulster semi-final.
Saturday 12 May 2012
Sean O'Connell goal v Dublin (1975)
A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across one of those homemade, local sports highlights programmes from yesteryear on BBC NI. 'Glory Days' apparently. Charting local sporting "success" from the 1970s. You know the drill: Jackie Fullerton, lots of motorsport and Billy Bingham as a talking head. Missable stuff.
But a diamond in the rough was the appearance of Sean O'Connell bursting into the Dublin square in Croke Park to volley to the net during Derry's All-Ireland semi-final defeat in 1975. A great Derry move and a fantastic goal. (This was recorded on my phone camera, so please excuse the ropey sound and picture quality!)
Showing my age here, but it was a score I hadn't seen before and it highlighted what appeared to be a decent showing from the Oak Leafers, eventually going down to a 3-13 to 3-8 defeat.
The late Sean O'Connell also scored a goal in the 1958 All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry. It is one of the greatest scores in Derry's football history, both in terms of aesthetics and significance. A brilliant individual effort by all accounts, that helped the Oak Leafers beat the Kingdom by a single point and reach their first ever All-Ireland Final. Yet I, like most Derry fans have never even seen it.
As that BBC programme proves, there are still bits and pieces of tape lying about, but it's a shame that most of us haven't seen any footage from great Derry performances of the past.
Maybe the GAA, along with the likes of RTÉ, will someday task a group or body to carry out the painstaking job of trawling the archives and remastering them. If such a thing could even be done. Although some YouTube members are doing a pretty good job of it already. Nowadays we are used to total saturation of Gaelic Games coverage, and we take these things for granted, but it would be nice if we could produce a digital archive of the great matches, great scores and great performances of the past, before they are lost forever.
Wednesday 9 May 2012
One step forward...
John Brennan might well have been buoyed over the weekend by Gerard O'Kane's return to county duty during a challenge game against Roscommon, but his mood will have been tempered by news that full forwards Paddy Bradley and Cailean O'Boyle are both currently nursing injuries.
It appears that a hamstring injury will keep O'Boyle on the sidelines for up to four weeks. With Derry's opening game in the Ulster SFC over five weeks away, the Lavey man should have enough time to make a recovery that would enable him to play a part in that game, against either Cavan or Donegal. However, missing games for his club in the meantime is not ideal preparation.
Paddy Bradley meanwhile, picked up a knee injury in Saturday's defeat against Roscommon and sat out Glenullin's league game on Sunday. It is hoped the knock is only minor, but the former All-Star will go for a scan on Thursday to reveal the full extent of the injury. It has been a remarkable season so far for Bradley, considering the speed at which he found his form and the amount of minutes he played during the NFL campaign after spending most of 2011 on the sidelines following a cruciate injury. Indeed his performance level was one of the bright spots of an otherwise forgettable league season for Derry, and his talents will be a key component of the Oak Leaf's Championship challenge this summer.
Staying with the forwards, Conleith Gilligan returned to action with Ballinderry Shamrocks on Sunday. It was his first game since going through a hernia operation last month. Both Derry and Ballinderry fans will be delighted to see one of their main marksmen back on the pitch, but with the Shamrocks boasting former Derry players such as Enda Muldoon, Kevin McGuckin, Raymond Wilkinson and Colin Devlin in their ranks, you could argue that the Oak Leafers are in greater need.
At the other end of the field, Gerard O'Kane's appearance - following a knee injury - has provided some welcome good news on the injury front, but corner-back Dermot McBride sat out the Roscommon game on Saturday as well as Ballinascreen's victory over Banagher on Sunday as he continues to shake off the leg injury that prevented him from featuring in five of Derry's NFL games. John Brennan played McBride at centre-half back in the league game against Westmeath and he has featured at midfield for his club this season, but following a porous NFL campaign for the Oak Leafer's defence, the 'Screen man's services might be best utilised in a man-marking role.
On the field the news wasn't great either, with Roscommon recording a four-point victory in Saturday's game played at Steelstown. The concession of two first half goals left Derry with plenty of work to do, and they never fully recovered as the game wore on. Eoin Bradley made an appearance in the second half, as did Lee Moore and Mark Lynch. Added to Enda Lynn's form during the NFL you would imagine that Brennan has plenty of strength in the forward division. The rest of the team will take a bit more thought however.
It appears that a hamstring injury will keep O'Boyle on the sidelines for up to four weeks. With Derry's opening game in the Ulster SFC over five weeks away, the Lavey man should have enough time to make a recovery that would enable him to play a part in that game, against either Cavan or Donegal. However, missing games for his club in the meantime is not ideal preparation.
Paddy Bradley meanwhile, picked up a knee injury in Saturday's defeat against Roscommon and sat out Glenullin's league game on Sunday. It is hoped the knock is only minor, but the former All-Star will go for a scan on Thursday to reveal the full extent of the injury. It has been a remarkable season so far for Bradley, considering the speed at which he found his form and the amount of minutes he played during the NFL campaign after spending most of 2011 on the sidelines following a cruciate injury. Indeed his performance level was one of the bright spots of an otherwise forgettable league season for Derry, and his talents will be a key component of the Oak Leaf's Championship challenge this summer.
Staying with the forwards, Conleith Gilligan returned to action with Ballinderry Shamrocks on Sunday. It was his first game since going through a hernia operation last month. Both Derry and Ballinderry fans will be delighted to see one of their main marksmen back on the pitch, but with the Shamrocks boasting former Derry players such as Enda Muldoon, Kevin McGuckin, Raymond Wilkinson and Colin Devlin in their ranks, you could argue that the Oak Leafers are in greater need.
At the other end of the field, Gerard O'Kane's appearance - following a knee injury - has provided some welcome good news on the injury front, but corner-back Dermot McBride sat out the Roscommon game on Saturday as well as Ballinascreen's victory over Banagher on Sunday as he continues to shake off the leg injury that prevented him from featuring in five of Derry's NFL games. John Brennan played McBride at centre-half back in the league game against Westmeath and he has featured at midfield for his club this season, but following a porous NFL campaign for the Oak Leafer's defence, the 'Screen man's services might be best utilised in a man-marking role.
On the field the news wasn't great either, with Roscommon recording a four-point victory in Saturday's game played at Steelstown. The concession of two first half goals left Derry with plenty of work to do, and they never fully recovered as the game wore on. Eoin Bradley made an appearance in the second half, as did Lee Moore and Mark Lynch. Added to Enda Lynn's form during the NFL you would imagine that Brennan has plenty of strength in the forward division. The rest of the team will take a bit more thought however.
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