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.
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