Tyrone show no mercy

Surely, things can only get better...

It's now Tuesday. Probably a safe enough distance from which to finally peel the fingers from your eyes. Just like any problem, it's best if we talk it out... the only question is, where the hell do we start?

Obviously, we're all in agreement that it was a very poor display in Healy Park on Sunday, and a difficult one for players and fans to have to endure against our arch-rivals. It was the type of performance that would have made Wes Craven proud. We're all aware of how badly things went at this stage - nobody more so than the players and management - so there's little point in beating that particular drum. Instead we'd be safer concentrating on where things went wrong and what can be done to stem the tide that's currently going against us.

Let's first look at the depleted nature of the Derry squad that travelled to Omagh. It's often too easy to fall back to the trusty old injury excuse after a heavy defeat, but it was a severely weakened Derry side that took to the field on Sunday. The two-man full-back line, for the duration of the game, was Chris McKaigue and Aidan McAlynn. Two players that wouldn't be recognised corner-backs or man-markers for their clubs, yet here they were, in Omagh, detailed with the task of marking two of the most decorated forwards in Gaelic Football. It's an example that perfectly encapsulates the difficulty John Brennan had in naming a side to face a Tyrone team that is more or less firing on all cylinders.

With Gerard O'Kane, Dermot McBride, Barry McGoldrick, Michael Bateson, Mark Craig and Ciaran Mullan (a full defence) all unavailable for one reason or another, the hands of the Oak Leaf selectors weren't so much tied as chopped off completely. Players like McKaigue, McAlynn, Brian Doyle and Brian McCallion all need to be tried and tested, but when you're forced to play them all at the same time, it places a lot of responsibilty on inexperienced shoulders. It all brings into sharp focus the recent retirements of Kevin McCloy and Kevin McGuckin. Their presence and experience will be missed.

But with all that, the biggest problem with the Oak Leaf performance on Sunday, just like last weekend against Galway, was that we couldn't get our hands on the football. Tyrone owned the midfield sector, displaying a sharpness and a mobility that was in stark contrast to Derry. Michael Murphy was excellent for the second successive game against us. He scored three points in the McKenna Cup Final and added 1-2 on Sunday. He may not be a traditional fielding, powerhouse midfielder, but he can move both with the ball and without and get forward to take scores. This is hard to track and can take huge pressure of a forward line. Unfortunately for Derry, our main midfield trio this season of Joe Diver, James Conway and Patsy Bradley are coming back from lengthy injury layoffs, and it will take some time for them to get back to full fitness. Derry's main source of possession in the middle came from referee Maurice Deegan's whistle for Tyrone fouls. At one stage in the game, with Diver off injured and Bradley off for two yellow cards, Derry's only recognised midfielder on the pitch was substitute Michael Friel. The introduction of PJ McCloskey and debutant Blain Gormley added some presence, while John Brennan was left to rue early-season injuries to Niall Holly and John McCamley.

Aside from that, Derry struggled badly in the break-ball stakes. It was a problem against Galway and will be evident again against Monaghan if we don't improve in this area. Neil Forrester made a difference when he came in and it is players of his ilk that possess the attributes required to win loose possession. Gerard O'Kane's return will be welcome also, while Brian McCallion's strong performance and willingness to get on the ball - despite the ugliness of the scoreboard - suggests that his future might lie at half-back rather than corner-back.

Derry's forward line was starved of possession but they had an afternoon to forget. Cailean O'Boyle and Paddy Bradley were well tied up and ended up drifting out the field to try and get their hands on the ball. Mark Lynch had a solid game. He's excellent at winning his own ball, but there was little in the way of support once he had it. Enda Lynn was the pick of the forwards. He displayed a constant energy from the first whistle to the last, always willing to get on the ball and his running off the ball offered an option on the rare times Derry got up the field. Conleith Gilligan offered a spark when he came on and there must be an argument for deploying him in the middle third to try and get Derry moving the ball quicker between the forwards instead of relying on the long ball. Playing directly is a tactic that can have its moments, but the Derry midfield and half-backs need to offer more variety.

Whilst Derry's line-up was inexperienced, the level of performance did not even approach the requisite standard to defeat Tyrone on their home patch. Too many basic errors, bad passes and slack fouling. It was a recipe that led to a diffculty in creating scoring chances let alone taking scores. There's no team better at exposing this than the Red Hands and no team more ruthless in capitalising upon it. A nadir was reached during the first fifteen minutes of the second half when Derry confidence was at an extreme low and numerous balls were kicked into Tyrone chests. Once the home side scored their second goal and the Oak Leafers had been reduced to fourteen men, a game that had struggled to become a contest, was over. The 12-point winning margin in no way flattered Mickey Harte's side.

The good news is that it is only February and Derry are unlikely to be as bad again. It's the right time of the year to be doing the soul-searching and there's time to rescue this NFL campaign. Let's hope we bottomed out at Healy Park and the game against Monaghan in three weeks offers a chance for redemption. The players will be very keen to make up for Sunday past.

There's no doubt John Brennan would not have been wishing the game against the Farney to carry such significance. But, from a long-term perspective, it should provide the Derry squad with the type of pressure-game situation they need to get more practice of in the build up to the Championship. The way things are going, the games away to Meath and Kildare will carry similar weight, and these are exactly the type of situations we might find ourselves in come the summer. The Championship isn't just about the first round, but a lot of teams (especially in Ulster) are probably guilty of preparing six months for one game and then not being able to adapt for a qualifier with six days notice. Brennan will know a lot more about his squad - and how they react to different situations - when consecutive games in March have been completed.

For now, the Tyrone game will still encompass thoughts, but there's three weeks to put things right. Or at least to get back on track. Defeat against Monaghan is not an option.

Some other thoughts on Sunday's game:

• Charlie Kielt looked solid in defence. Performing a fire-fighting role whilst still getting up the pitch and getting scores.
• Not for the first time in his career, Gerard O'Kane's stock is rising despite being on the sidelines.
• Ditto Dermot McBride.
• Ditto Enda Muldoon (need we go on?).
• Paddy Bradley has played a lot since coming back, he will welcome the break more than most.
• And after the year he's endured, no-one should ever be questioning his commitment to Derry.
• Peter Harte is going to cause some bother. And he's only 21. Like Dooher, only he is in total control of a game at centre-back.
• Not a fan of the Railway Cup but it's finally pulling its weight. Derry need all the time they can get.
• Louth have three points already.

Gone in 18 Minutes

Never nice to get beaten by Tyrone, but the damage inflicted by this one should be very minimal...

We may as well start with the moment that turned the game on its head.

It is usually too simplistic to write off the analysis of a game as having been decided or even destroyed by poor refereeing, but Saturday's McKenna Cup final falls into that very bracket.

The reasons why the dubious sending off of James Conway turned an impressive Derry start and comfortable five point lead into an inevitable defeat is something that will concern John Brennan this week, but the red card decision itself was very harsh on Derry. Conway and Colm Cavanagh seemed to engage in little more than arbitrary holding so what urged Fermanagh referee Martin Higgins to pull the red card out of his pocket is something of a mystery. The near linesman shook his head to signal nothing untoward had taken place, but Paudie Hughes - on the other line, 80 yards away - reckoned he saw something that warranted a straight red. Bar some impressive histrionics, it's difficult to imagine what this possibly could have been.

Unfortunately this was the game's key turning point and Derry never recovered. As mentioned above, Brennan will be keen to work out why the performance level of his side dipped following Conway's dismissal. The loss of a midfielder is possibly the most difficult sending-off to deal with in Gaelic football. For Derry it meant having to remove Cailean O'Boyle from his encouraging full-forward berth to help out Joe Diver around the middle. The Oak Leaf attacking options had immediately been curtailed and Tyrone had extra space to work the ball out of defence and set up attacks. This was best demonstrated by the amount of time Tyrone half-backs Cathal McCarron and Dermot Carlin had on the ball.

The disruption in the structure of the Oak Leaf personnel was obvious as they struggled to hold onto their five point advantage. Tyrone picked up a few handy frees and Eoin Mulligan's goal in first-half injury time underlined Derry's loss of concentration, which had deteriorated after the sending off. It had manifested itself in slow play, lack of support running and poor passing. Tyrone took full advantage.

For Derry to have had any chance in this game they would have a required a three or four point lead at the half, but with the sides going in at 1-5 apiece it already felt as if the game was over.

The second half was a non-event and it will be hard for either side to take anything out of it. Derry struggled to win primary possession and any ball that did come their way tended to be coughed up too easily as men in space were at a premium. But this was a young and inexperienced team that finished the game for Derry and they would always find it difficult against a Tyrone side who can play against 14 men in their sleep. The surprise at the end was that the Oak Leafs had been beaten by only three points.

To their credit, Mickey Harte's men were pretty emphatic in closing out the victory once they knew the game was there for the taking. Michael Murphy looked confident at midfield and the two Donnelly's bolstered an attack that already contained the likes of Stephen O'Neill and Eoin Mulligan. Following a raft of retirements at the end of 2011, Harte will be satisfied that his squad still contains a number of players who look ready to fill in the gaps.

All the positives for Derry in this game came in the first 20 or so minutes when they were in complete control. Conleth Gilligan was looking sharp, and the linkup play between himself, Paddy Bradley and O'Boyle looked like it would pay continuous dividends. The forceful running and finishing of Mark Lynch provided a further option in attack, and with Diver and Conway winning possession readily, the Tyrone defence struggled. Derry displayed some thoughtful variation to their attacking play, with the direct, long ball threat leading to Paddy Bradley's exceptionally well taken goal.

Sean Leo McGoldrick and Gerard O'Kane provided a steady link between defence and attack, but O'Kane's withdrawal through injury was another early blow to Derry's chances. The Glenullin man has caused Tyrone problems in the past and the Red Hand outfit would have been keen to eliminate his threat. O'Kane picked up what looked like a knee injury when three Tyrone men dragged him to the ground.

A disappointing night, but the result is one that will not be dwelled upon. Tyrone v Derry games - be they McKenna Cup, NFL or All-Ireland quarter-final - take on a life of their own, develop an edge out of something or other and by the end of the seventy minutes you want to be on the winning side. But Saturday night will be quickly forgotten, with the season starting for real next week against Galway. Though Brennan will not want his team to struggle as badly again, even if they do find themselves numerically disadvantaged.

The manager and his selectors will be happy on the whole with the McKenna Cup campaign. Five decent games with different levels of opponent and various outcomes will give John Brennan food for thought. He will have a reasonable idea of his starting team for the majority of the NFL. He will know which players are potentially capable of filling some of the problematic positions (for which the next three months will be something of an audition). And he will be well aware of what he wants the spine of his team to contain come June.

Of course it would have been nice to land a second successive McKenna Cup, but the big challenges posed by the 2012 season have yet to even begin.

Some other thoughts on Saturday's game:

The full-back line wasn't tested aerially by the Tyrone attack, but Liam Morrow looks comfortable at full-back and is favourite to start the NFL in that position. In the absence of Kevin McCloy and Kevin McGuckin, Derry could be doing with him fitting right in.

Dermot McBride's footballing ability will allow him to play at centre half-back, but he is needed primarily for his man-marking skills at corner back. However, Brian McCallion and Ryan Dillon look like valid corner-back options.

Cailean O'Boyle is displaying a huge improvement this season. He is proving to be a valuable addition to the forward line, offering a new threat in that line.

2-8 is a decent overall return when you really only play well for about 20 minutes. If the forwards can stay healthy and if Eoin Bradley can return to full fitness, this Derry side should not have a problem putting points on the board. 

Eoin Mulligan, Colm Cavanagh and Joe McMahon are all big men. It's amazing the ease with which they can fall to the ground. Mulligan's acrobatics in the second half were particularly laughable.

Tyrone's half-time charade of waiting as a group until the Derry players went into the tunnel made it look like the Oak Leafers were the instigators of any on-field tensions. Tyrone had cleverly brought themselves back into the game, maybe Derry need to become more street-wise in that regard?

The atmosphere at the game seemed somewhat subdued. Perhaps Tyrone's second half dominance contributed to that, or maybe we were trying to behave ourselves in front of Peter Robinson?

Expect the atmosphere to be cranked up a notch or two in a fortnight's time in Omagh. The intensity of the game will jump a couple of levels also.

It'll do for starters

Typical Derry really. No expectancy, weakened team, underdogs, poor pre-season... they beat Tyrone by six points.

Some bookies were prepared to offer 7/4 about a Derry victory, and even yours truly was happy to predict a Tyrone win! Should've known better.

Derry continued their good recent record in opening NFL games on Saturday night. since their return to Division 1 in 2006 they have won each of their five opening fixtures (Galway 2006,2007, Mayo 2008,2009), and the early two points helps take some pressure off any relegations concerns. But that won't be in Damian Cassidy's thoughts this week, neither will he dwell too much on the impressive nature of his side's victory. It's the first week in February.

What he can do though, is take the positives from this victory and try to build up a confidence and winning mentality within the camp. And there were a number of positives.

Firstly, Derry dug deep in the second half when, after initially holding a nine-point lead, Tyrone reduced the gap to four points. Derry defended well at this stage, with Gerard O'Kane leading from full-back; but more importantly, they got their hands on the football and used possession intelligently to take the sting out of the Tyrone fightback. This was in direct contrast to how Derry finished the game at Omagh in last year's fixture.

This was an industrious and efficient performance from an experimental Oak Leaf side, and Cassidy will be happy with how his side made the most out of their possession. 1-18 is excellent scoring in an opening league game. James Kielt was chief-executioner hitting six classy frees, while Raymond Wilkinson marked his return to inter-county action with 1-2. The Ballinderry man's work ethic and spirit epitomised Derry's purposeful display. Eoin Bradley had a fairly inconsistent evening, but he still managed to score four points. All in all, Derry's forwards had a solid showing, with Andrew McCartney and the very promising Declan Mullan also weighing in with points.

I was most interested in seeing how Gerard O'Kane and Mark Lynch performed in their new defensive roles. O'Kane had an excellent game. His intelligence and natural ability helped Derry turnover Tyrone attacks. When his confidence is up he's a hard man to stop and had numerous forays into Red Hand territory to help set up Derry scores. The same went for Mark Lynch, and he capped a strong display with two excellent points. Will these guys hold these positions come May? Hard to say right now, but it's worth persisting with during the league campaign.

Other stand-out performances came from Charlie Kielt and Declan Mullan (introduced towards the end of the first half). Kielt is a strong runner and did a good job of covering his full-back line and carrying the ball well from defence. Mullan added a new dimension when brought on. He offers so much in a half-forward role; working tirelessly to make himself constantly available for possession. And he had to suffer what seemed like a lot of unwarranted abuse from the Tyrone defence (Conor Gormley, and his knee specifically, the chief protaganist). Both players are possible Championship contenders.

Tyrone were generally poor. Bar the middle third of the first half when they hit four unanswered points, and a similar burst after Derry's goal, Mickey Harte's men struggled. They did a lot of things that Tyrone don't usually do. They must have landed about ten balls into Barry Gillis' hands, their passing was poor and they ran down cul-de-sacs. Their forward line did not function at all. Derry must take some credit for shoring up the central areas of the field, but it's unlikely that Tyrone could be as rusty come the summer. The Tyrone contingent will likely point to the absence of O'Neill, Dooher and Cavanagh, but Derry were also without Paddy Bradley, Enda Muldoon, Niall MCusker, Kevin MGuckin and the McGoldricks.

Overall Cassidy will obviously be aware that the result has little meaning, but he will have liked what he saw from his side. His players showed character and determination, and a few of the newer players look like they may fit into the desired system of play.

A few other points from the game:

• The game was simmering nicely just before half-time after Eoin Bradley let Conor Gormley know of his presence. Perhaps the half-time whistle was a good thing.
• Derry had great width to their play. The likes of Hinphey, Kielt and Mullan constantly providing an outlet.
• At one stage Ryan McMenamin was marking Brian Mullan. Talk about a cancelling-out match.
• A few early yellow-cards. Last year, they would have been early substitutions. Thankfully, that rule didn't stick.
• The new rule, where the referee doesn't blow for half/full-time until the ball goes out of play, might cause some confusion. Derry conceded a point at the end of each half, when the ball could have been kicked dead.
• From a Derry perspective I was happy to see Kyle Coney go off, and not Colm Cavanagh.
• With McGuckin, McCusker and three McGoldricks not featuring, Derry are adding a bit of depth to their defensive options.
• Probably a bit early for the olés - and we've been stung by this before - but it's so difficult to resist.
• They were selling Derry bedsheets outside the ground.
• How much does Charlie Kielt look like Liam Hinphey?

B Gillis, B McAlary, G O’Kane (0-1), D McBride, C Kielt (0-1), M Lynch (0-2), L Hinphey, Patsy Bradley, F Doherty, C O'Boyle, J Kielt (0-6), A McCartney (0-1), S Bradley, E Bradley (0-4), R Wilkinson (1-2); Subs: D Mullan (0-1) for O'Boyle, B Mullan for s Bradley, J Diver for Patsy Bradley, Lynn for McCartney, McGuigan for Wilkinson.

Derry experiment for Tyrone

The following is the Derry team to play Tyrone in Saturday's opening NFL game at Celtic Park: B Gillis, B McAlary, G O’Kane, D McBride, C Kielt, M Lynch, L Hinphey, Patsy Bradley, F Doherty, C O'Boyle, J Kielt, A McCartney, S Bradley, E Bradley, R Wilkinson.

It's one of the toughest NFL Division 1 campaigns in many years and Derry will hope to get off to a flying start against neighbours Tyrone at Celtic Park on Saturday night. Derry manager Damian Cassidy has named an experimental side for the game. Gerard O'Kane has been selected as captain for the forthcoming season and has been handed the task of filling the problematic full-back berth for the NFL opener. O'Kane will be joined in the full-back line by Dermot McBride and Brian McAlary who spent the pre-season in Queen's colours. James Kielt did likewise and he will return to the centre forward position alongside Caolan O'Boyle who has also returned from University duty (with Jordanstown). All four featured in UUJ's one-point Sigerson Cup win over Queen's on Wednesday. Andrew McCartney and Charlie Kielt will also making their debuts.

Despite the fresh look of the Oak Leaf line-up, it has an extremely solid and experienced spine with Mark Lynch starting at centre-back, Patsy Bradley and Fergal Doherty continuing at midfield, Kielt at centre-forward and Eoin Bradley at full-forward. Damian Cassidy will hope that this central unit can win the game, and also help the younger players through the challenge posed by the Red Hands.

Liam Hinphey and Raymond Wilkinson return to the side after missing last year's action, with the Ballinderry-man likely to assume a free role around midfield in the hope that he can pick up breaks and create attacking opportunites for the inside duo of Seamus and Eoin Bradley.

Barry Gillis starts in goals. He will be under pressure this year from Steelstown's Martin Dunne, who had a decent McKenna Cup campaign. No doubt he will get further opportunity to impress during later league outings.

Tyrone may be without the injured Stephen O'Neill, Sean Cavanagh, Owen Mulligan and Brian Dooher, but they have named an experienced side. The McMahon brothers, Conor Gormley, Enda McGinley and Brian McGuigan all start, while the Derry defence will be kept busy by the presence of the in-form forward trio of Martin Penrose, Kyle Coney and Tommy McGuigan.

The bookmakers have Tyrone as 8/11 favourites, and it's hard to argue. They appear to have scoring options throughout their forward line, and this will surely pose problems for a rookie Derry defence. By contrast, in the absence of Paddy Bradley and Enda Muldoon, Derry's scoring hopes will lie mainly on the shoulders of Eoin Bradley, and he'll be up against a hardened Tyrone back-line. Overall, Mickey Harte's men seem well set up to claim victory here, despite their poor recent record at Celtic Park.

When the sides met last year however, Derry were expected to claim the points - but it didn't quite work out that way at Healy Park. Damian Cassidy will hope his side can emulate Tyrone's victory last March to similarly upset the odds.

The experimental nature of the Oak Leaf side should make for an interesting match on Saturday night, and it may be more of a learning exercise for his young size than a point-gaining one. The opening round of league fixtures are always difficult to call, however I'll reluctantly go for a three-point victory for Tyrone.

More Doom and Gloom than 'Va Va Voom'

A few lengthy days have now passed since the disappointment of Sunday's performance in Casement Park. The second round of the Club championships is already underway, and this is usually as good a way as any to cast inter-county aspersions aside for one long weekend. However, Ballinderry's suspension from this year's Senior Championship has cast a huge shadow over this weekend's games, and is likely to linger for the remainder of the competition.

It has been a poor month for Derry football - both on and off the field - and at this rate, the season ain't going to get much better.

Anyway, to Casement Park then (gulp!), and Thursday is probably a safe enough distance from which to look back at Sunday's proceedings, and the many thoughts that have followed.

A quick scan at Monday's depressing bunch of papers outlined in heavy bold what we all already knew - Derry had not been good enough. And to make matters worse, most commentators all seemed to agree that Sunday's win was a mere stepping stone for the all-conquering Tyrone, as they brushed the derby challenge aside without having to barely break a sweat.

Monday's edition of The Irish News could have been mistaken for an issue of Top Gear (I assume there's a magazine to accompany this questionable TV show... Google confirms that - predictably - there is), such was the leaning towards vehicle metaphors by their writers. Kenny Archer must shoulder most of the blame for his piece that claimed Derry failed to match Tyrone's "va-va-voom". I can't disagree with much of that, but saying that Derry had been crushed "as if they were a tax-dodger’s vehicle" was perhaps a bit much!

Paddy Heaney continues the theme by saying that the Oaks had been "tanked", and that Tyrone would now "refuel before preparing to dismantle either Antrim or Cavan on July 19." He also tells us that Tyrone are looking close to being the finished article. Many Derry fans - if they weren't doing so already - will start to nod in resigned agreement, having witnessed Sunday's game.

Eamonn O'Hara chose to use the tried and trusted Shakespearean theme to tell us about Derry's "midsummer nightmare". The "toil and trouble" bit certainly rings true, but he neglected to tell us that the great bard never wrote a tragedy such as this. Any romantic tales will be put away for another day as the qualifier route looms for the Oakleafers.

Before I leave the Irish News' extensive offerings I must question Brendan Crossan's match report. He claimed the following: that "Eoin Bradley was lucky to escape with a yellow card after kicking out at Ryan McMenamin"; Barry McGuigan was also lucky to escape red after "gratefully accepting a yellow" (for his clash with Brian Dooher); and that Kevin McGuckin "pursued and lashed out at Sean Cavanagh". Three innocuous incidents in the course of the game that were highlighted and dressed-up. Tyrone were obviously blemish-free.

Time to move down to the southern press, and there's Sean Moran of The Irish Times banging on about a "driving-seat". What was in the tea in that pokey Casement press box anyway? He outlines the all-too evident differences between the sides:

"Tyrone were simply too accomplished for their struggling opponents. Their drifting, support game is so well practised that they can effortlessly enact complex strategies. This constant, meaningful movement – players picking out each other accurately and at pace and moving into space – was in contrast to Derry, who rarely managed to elude their markers when attacking and more than once the attacking runner showed little vision of which colleagues had got free and where."

Moving to The Irish Independent, and Martin Breheny's report talks about Tyrone "cruising" into the Ulster Final (hmmm... I should probably give him the benefit of the doubt!):

"Derry were far too predictable in their movement and were ultimately let down by a power failure in attack. Three of the starting six were replaced but it made no appreciable difference on a day when Derry's All-Ireland prospects took a serious knock."

A knock indeed, and one from which Derry have less than three weeks to dust themselves down, to try and stitch their season back together, piece by piece.

At least there's always someone worse off than yourself, and it is Roscommon who are holding that most dubious of honours this week. After their 20-point drubbing by Mayo at Castlebar, the Roscommon Herald likened their side's performance to that of the Kilkenny footballers...

Hopefully things won't get that bad for Derry!

The Longest Day

Unfortunately today's defeat to Tyrone doesn't require much analysis. We were beaten by a better team, plain and simple.

We have found ourselves at the juncture that has become so familiar since 2000, and Damian Cassidy will have a job on his hands to lift his players for the qualifier campaign that lies ahead. But it's hard to even consider that particular route tonight, after such a convincing loss to our closest rivals.

Today proved how good Tyrone really can be. Not only do they have a well-oiled system in place, but they have top-quality players in every sector of the field to carry it out effectively. They have a serious strength in depth also, that enables them to push on at certain stages of the game just when the opposition feel that they are getting to grips with them.

And they displayed all those qualities today, showing the country once again, that they are the complete team, and will take some stopping in their quest to win back-to-back All-Ireland titles. Today, almost every Tyrone player carried out their task to the letter. Without playing at their best, they won all the key battles, and took the chances required to win the game.

Derry weren't at the races.

Right from the start we looked lethargic. Playing without so many key players obviously didn't help, but the players on the field just couldn't get to grips with the task in hand.

Firstly, we were outplayed at midfield. It doesn't matter what type of system you are trying to impose on a game, if you don't win primary possession you are going to be in trouble. Kevin Hughes was outstanding for Tyrone in this sector, whilst Derry failed to impress on the breaking ball stakes. Joe Diver had a good game, but too often he was left isolated in the middle third. The Paul Murphy experiment at midfield didn't work. The Dungiven man seemed to play in an overly defensive role, and couldn't get into the game. His substitution midway through the first-half highlighted Derry's midfield problems. With Fergal Doherty, Enda Muldoon, Patsy Bradley and James Conway all unavailable these problems were unlikely to be overcome.

Derry found themselves three points in arrears at half-time, and most Oakleaf fans in the 24,000 crowd could be forgiven for being happy enough. In defence Gerard O'Kane and Sean Lockhart did excellent jobs in curtailing Sean Cavanagh and Stephen O'Neill respectively, but the problems were appearing elsewhere. Martin Penrose had given Kevin McGuckin a torrid opening period, while Tommy McGuigan was deadly accurate in front of the posts. We could live with a three-point deficit.

Derry's attacking machine had failed to kick into gear. In the system that we are trying to play, the wing positions are pretty much key. Enda Lynn and Eoin Brown failed to provide an attacking outlet, allowing Jordan and Harte to impose themselves in a familiar manner. Between centrefield and half-forward problems and the effective pressure Tyrone continuously applied, Derry's system failed to initiate.

It's a human trait that when people find themselves under pressure, they revert to type. Derry ran down blind alleys, played the ball backwards, and allowed Tyrone to gobble up possession. Attributes synoymous with poor Derry performances in recent years. The ball wasn't moved directly to the forwards, or to wide areas. There were no counter attacks. And failure to win primary ball exacerbated the problem.

Tyrone ruthlessly and efficiently exposed Derry's frailties, and were able to call upon Brian Dooher, Brian McGuigan and Colm McCullagh off the bench. A show of strength that highlighted Derry's problems in this very area. Seamus Bradley replaced Murphy and caused some problems in the forward line, but Caolan O'Boyle and Gavin McShane came on to make their championshiop debuts, and could not have been expected to seriously influence the game.

Derry only managed two points in an excruciating second-half performance. Dooher helped Tyrone turn the screw and suddenly they were out of sight. Eoin Bradley helped carried the fight from deep positions, while Barry McGoldrick tried to break through from defence at every opportunity. Derry could only manage to kick ball down Tyrone's throat however (as Paddy Bradley and Mark Lynch found themselves well shackled), before the Red Hands broke free at pace. By the time Kevin McGuckin saw what looked like an extremely harsh red card, the game was clearly up.

It will be a despondent Derry squad this week. Understandably so. They didn't perform. They allowed Tyrone to overrun them, and they seemed to play with a lack of belief in themselves at times. That won't do against Tyrone. Derry have players to come back in that will help the cause, but Damian Cassidy might have to reconsider things before the first qualifier game. He will understand now, if he didn't know already, that success with Derry cannot be achieved overnight.

The Oakleaf supporters will be disillusioned also this evening, as a clear gap between ourselves and Tyrone was brutally exposed at Casement Park. Anyone believing Derry could win today (including myself!) was perhaps a little too hasty in applying an optimism towards a weakened Derry side, up against Tyrone's power, pace, strength and efficiency. It should be remembered that Mickey Harte has been moulding his Tyrone masterpiece for almost seven years now; Damian Cassidy has only just got his hands on the clay.

After today's harsh lesson, the season will still continue. Derry's hand should be strengthened the next day, but the lesson might have to be learned fast.

Derry: B Gillis, K McGuckin, SM Lockhart, G O'Kane, C McKaigue, B McGuigan, SL McGoldrick, B McGoldrick (0-01, f), J Diver, E Browne, P Murphy, E Lynn, E Bradley (0-04, 1f, 1 '45'), P Bradley (0-01, f), M Lynch. Subs: S Bradley (0-01) for Murphy (22), N McCusker for SL McGoldrick (54), C O'Boyle for Lynch (55)

Derry Must Take Giant Leap

The following is the Derry team to face Tyrone in Sunday's Ulster SFC semi-final at Casement Park: B Gillis, K McGuckin, SM Lockhart, G O'Kane; C McKaigue, B McGuigan, SL McGoldrick; B McGoldrick, J Diver; E Brown, P Murphy, E Lynn; E Bradley, P Bradley, M Lynch

His hands have been tied with injuries and suspensions, but Damian Cassidy has still managed to select a reasonably bold starting fifteen for this massive game. Dropping Kevin McCloy is a big move, while Eoghan Brown's selection is a minor risk; but in the circumstances there were few other options available (perhaps Paul Young, Gavin McShane and Caolan O'Boyle were staking claims - though it would be a big jump up in level for the latter two who have yet to feature in competitive football for Derry).

We're still only at the Ulster semi-final stage, but since 2000, this has been the very point of the Summer where Derry's wheels have fallen off the wagon. Tyrone, Donegal (twice), Armagh, Monaghan and Fermanagh have all inflicted defeats that have left deep wounds.

Ironically, Derry's barren Ulster decade has coincided with the introduction of the qualifier system in 2001, and an Ulster Final has not been reached since. It could be put down to a mindset that is happy to have the safety net of the back-door, but excuses are wearing thin. The truth is, we need to win an Ulster title. Soon.

And there's no time like the present. The fact that the All-Ireland Champions Tyrone currently stand in Derry's way should be a help rather than a hindrance. Derry have failed against so-called weaker opposition in previous campaigns; a derby semi-final meeting with the Red Hands should focus the mind. It's time to take their scalp and make a serious push for an Ulster title. Derry have been beaten with the 'under-achievers' stick for too long. We must now take that extra step to become 'serious contenders'. We can do that on Sunday.

We all know winning football games isn't about mindsets however, and Derry's squad is wearing a little thin ahead of Sunday's game. Injuries and suspensions have weakened the Oakleaf hand, and the bookies would appear to concur (with 9/4 available about an Oakleaf victory), but this team must expect to win. Doherty, Muldoon, McCusker and co. will be missed, but the players coming in are capable of doing enough to achieve victory.

This is a huge test of Damian Cassidy's credentials as manager, pitting himself directly against Mickey Harte. In the absence of some key players, Cassidy's preferred system of play will be tested rigorously against a full-strength Tyrone. I believe it has the capacity to obtain the result we all crave, but Derry need to work hard from the start in every sector of the field.

The wing-half forwards must push closely on the dangerous pairing of Davy Harte and Philip Jordan. These two have been crucial performers for Mickey Harte in recent seasons. They display an ability to break onto possession in their own half before finding ample space in opposition territory to both create and take scores. Derry cannot afford to let them find their rhythm at Casement Park. It will be a baptism of championship fire for Eoghan Brown, who will have his work cut out. Conversely, Derry's wing-backs must be willing to push forward at every opportunity, creating an attacking outlet, whilst keeping Tyrone on the back-foot.

Barry McGoldrick is likely to continue his sweeping role in defence. He must keep constant tabs on the roving influence of Sean Cavanagh, and the playmaking abilities of Tommy McGuigan and Owen Mulligan. The Derry defence as a whole (which incudes the welcome return of Sean Martin Lockhart) must focus dilligently on thwarting Tyrone's attacking machine, as they seek to set up scoring opportunities for McGuigan, but more pertinently Stephen O'Neill. And this attacking machine starts with John Devine in goals. The Derry forwards must press high from the second Devine looks like seizing up one of his short kickouts.

This all makes up part of how we expect Derry to play, but the Oakleafers shouldn't concentrate too much on stopping Tyrone. We must impose our own game on them, and I'm sure Cassidy will have made his players aware of that in the past couple of weeks. This means the likes of Sean Leo McGoldrick, Chrissy McKaigue and Gerard O'Kane will support the attack, helping to create scores for the Bradleys and Lynch, while Joe Diver will be tasked with breaking through the Tyrone middle third to add an extra dynamism to Derry's offensive play. It's easy to put it into words I suppose, but a little more difficult to practice on the field of play. Especially as Tyrone will probably play a sweeper of their own (most likely in the shape of Joe McMahon), while Conor Gormley, Ryan McMenamin and Justin McMahon will be given specific man-marking duties.

Derry must not leave their full-forward line isolated, and they will want to avoid playing long hopeful balls into this area (where Tyrone will sweep up with ease). This, generally, has been removed from Derry's play under Cassidy, but was prevalent during the NFL game in Omagh, when Derry kicked susbstantial ball away during a poor first half. Players like Enda Lynn and Barry McGuigan will be tasked with getting fast accurate ball into the full-forward line, with Eoin Bradley spending time in the half-forwards to try and stretch a flexible Red Hands defence.

And this is Tyrone's strength: flexibilty and adaptability. Players for any position. This is why they are so hard to play against, and exactly why Derry must concentrate on their own game - it's impossible to second-guess Mickey Harte's side. Against Monaghan, Derry's planned system of play more or less went out the window, but Tyrone play a different brand, and as such, each Derry player muct focus solely on his task from the throw-in.

It's a big ask, but if this Oakleaf side can produce the necessary work ethic, and prevent Tyrone from finding their flow (we don't care if it ain't pretty!), then Derry have enough talent to win this game, and finally put themselves on the Ulster Final stage.

This is a massive opportunity for Derry to show the rest of the country that they are capable of greater things.

Tyrone Unchanged

Whether or not we can take Mickey Harte's team selection for Sunday at face value is another story, but the Tyrone manager has named an unchanged side for the Ulster semi-final against Derry:

J Devine, PJ Quinn, Justin McMahon, R McMenamin, D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan, K Hughes, E McGinley, M Penrose, T McGuigan, Joe McMahon, S O'Neill, S Cavanagh, O Mulligan

The headline from this will be that Brian Dooher has to settle for a place on the substitute's bench, but you would have to imagine the Tyrone captain playing a key role at some stage in this game, especially when Harte is going about uttering this kind of stuff:

Brian Dooher is a real rock. He is simply irreplaceable — I don’t know what we are going to do when he decides to call it a day. We are very fortunate to have him as captain and I just wish he was 24 instead of 34.

Luckiest to keep his place is Martin Penrose, and this is probably the position where Dooher or even Colm McCullagh could come in.

After all, Tyrone have a fully-fit squad from which to pick, so you get the feeling we might get a surprise or two yet in their line-up.

We'll not find out until Sunday.

The Sweetest Thing

Finally, after all the talk of suspensions, appeals and injuries, the week of the Tyrone game has arrived, and we can actually look forward to a game of football (at least, that's what we've been promised).

And no better game to look forward to than one against the Red Hands. The old enemy. If there's a game you don't want to lose... this is it. Any sort of victory tends to be very, very sweet.

There have been some games against Tyrone over the years that we'd rather forget, but in the past twenty years Derry have come out on the right side of some memorable encounters.

1991: (USFC Preliminary Round) Tyrone 1-08 Derry 1-09
It's hard to believe it's been 18 years since Damian Cassidy's last minute goal beat Tyrone at Healy Park. In fact, that's just about all I can remember about that particular game. That, and Adrian Cush's goal shortly after half-time that had Derry on the back foot until Cassidy's last-gasp intervention. It was a hot May day in Omagh, and at the end of it all, Derry were still only the first round proper.

1992: (USFC Preliminary Round) Derry 1-10 Tyrone 1-07
The following year brought another preliminary clash (back in the day when the Ulster Council only bothered holding a draw every two years). It was an all-ticket affair at a scorching Celtic Park, with the game shown live on BBC (a rare thing in those days... possibly the first Ulster SFC game to be televised live).
Dermot Heaney's goal in the opening minutes proved the difference. Eamon Coleman was smiling post-game: "we proved today that we're the better team!" After beating Down in the Ulster semi-final we could almost smell Sam. Shame we forgot about the Anglo-Celt. Donegal took care of that.

1997: (USFC Semi-final) Derry 2-15 Tyrone 2-03
'95 and '96 hurt bad. Actually 1995 probably stills hurts more than most. 1997 brought us back to Clones for the third consecutive year, and Derry dominated a Tyrone side who appeared to lack the heart for another crack at an All-Ireland title. The Oakleafers cantered to a 12-point win. It's hard to know which was the funniest moment from the match: Joe Brolly blowing kisses at the Tyrone fans, or Finbar McConnell knocking Brian Mullins hat off and throwing it away!

2001: (All-Ireland Quarter-final) Derry 1-09 Tyrone 0-07
Arguably the sweetest of all Derry victories over Tyrone. It was a dour contest at Clones, and it appeared that Tyrone were beaten from the second the draw was made, as Derry could exact revenge for an Ulster semi-final defeat a few weeks earlier. Peter Canavan was red-carded and Paddy Bradley bundled the ball just about over the line to clinch victory. Tyrone became the first Ulster champions not to play in an All-Ireland semi-final as the Oakleafers took their place. Sweet indeed!

2006: (USFC First Round) Tyrone 0-05 Derry 1-08
Another sweet victory over the Red Hands. The then All-Ireland champions famously failed to score in the first-half at Healy Park as Derry took a six-point lead. Kevin Hughes saw red for a punch on Liam Hinphey, and Enda Muldoon capitalised on some good work from Paddy Bradley and Barry McGoldrick to score the game's only goal. I've heard it said and seen it written that this was an awful game to watch.

Let's be fair... it was a thing of beauty.

It's Tyrone

It was something of a relief to spend Sunday afternoon watching a game that didn't involve Derry or Monaghan. The coverage the game received last week reached saturation point, and as I have outlined already most of it was over-the-top hyperbole.

So when switching on The Sunday Game to see Tyrone take on Armagh, it was something of a surprise to hear Pat Spillane and Colm O'Rourke still talking about the game at Celtic Park. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. The duo were making a point about how their own reaction to the match was totally justified.

What was it that Shakespeare said about those who protest too much?

Anyway, this week's game at Clones seemed to have sufficient footballing entertainment and excitement to please the quality assessors at RTÉ, and Ulster football breathes again.

Despite only playing well in patches, Tyrone always appeared to be in control of the game, and when going eight points up early in the second half they probably (at least sub-consciously) eased off a little. Armagh did well to close the gap, but late points from Stephen O'Neill and Brian Dooher outlined the extra quality Mickey Harte has at his disposal.

Tyrone's victory sets up what will be an eagerly-anticipated Ulster semi-final against Derry on June 21st. Tyrone will be favourites after a comfortable enough win at Clones where they didn't really get anywhere close to their best. That's a worry for Derry; but the Oakleafers have room for improvement themselves.

Another worry is the not-totally-unexpected news of suspensions emanating from the Monaghan game at Celtic Park. It looks like Derry have been dealt the rough end with Brian Mullan and Fergal Doherty both expected to be handed eight-week bans. (The good news is that if Derry reach the Ulster Final, both would be free to play.)

Thomas Freeman also looks like picking up an eight-week suspension, while both counties will be hit with €10'000 fines.

That seems particularly harsh... to the point that I've even found myself agreeing with Banty McEnaney who questions the validity of handing out "professional fines" in an amateur sport.

Probably not the last we've heard of all this. The only winners this week appear to be Tyrone.

Mickey Feeling Harte Done By

It may be Easter, but Tyrone manager Mickey Harte hasn't exactly been a happy bunny this week. Fresh from his latest failed disciplinary crusade (this time regarding the actions of Tommy McGuigan), Harte has now been left furious at the Ulster Council's decision to play the USFC first round clash between Tyrone and Armagh at Clones.

He has made it pretty clear in recent weeks that he wished for the game to be played in Croke Park, and in today's Irish News he lambasts the selection of the Ulster Venue.

"To say I am disappointed at the removal of our first round Ulster Championship game from Healy Park to Clones, is somewhat of an understatement.
The positive impact of such an event on the GAA in both counties, the province of Ulster and the Championship in general would have been immense. It is also a glorious opportunity for families to embrace the experience together in comfort and something that would not be possible if their team was lucky enough to be there later in the summer."

To say that the above reasons for playing the match at HQ are somewhat lightweight might also be classified as an understatement. Families embracing the experience in comfort? Seriously!

A stronger reason for moving this game to Dublin (although Harte hasn't used it in public) might be that Tyrone have an excellent record in Croke Park. Call me cynical, but their record at Healy Park has been less than impressive, and an early season game in Croker would suit them nicely.

At their home venue in Omagh, Tyrone lost an USFC opener to Derry in 2006, and drew with Down last year. Clones meanwhile is widely regarded as a "home" venue for Armagh, and they have been close to invincible there for ten years now. These are likely to be the real reasons why Harte was so vociferous about staging the game at Croke Park.

The Ulster Council justified the decision to move the game to Clones by citing its greater potential for attendance compared to Healy Park:

"The anticipated attendance is significantly in excess of the 18,500 all ticket capacity of Healy Park. St Tiernach's Park, Clones provides an all ticket capacity of 33,000. There will be up to 10,000 seated family tickets available for this fixture."

It's hard to disagree with the Ulster Council's decision. This is a first round Ulster Championship game after all, and hardly warrants the opening of what would be a half-empty Croke Park. Clones will have to do - as it has always done.

It looks like the Tyrone management and players might just have to wait until August before setting foot on the hallowed Jones' Road turf.

Tyrone Turn Over New Leaf

"Let's not beat about the bush; we had the game won."

Damian Cassidy's response in the aftermath of his side's defeat to Tyrone was brash. He was letting Mickey Harte know that Derry could have easily won this game; but beneath the bullish bravado, the Bellaghy man will be extremely disappointed that they didn't.

In the end, the smiles and hugs abound in the Tyrone warm-down, and in the - probably colder - confines of the Healy Park stand, bore testament to the joy Tyrone felt in recording an important league victory and the enthusiasm with which a win over Derry is greeted in this part of the world.

It was a game where Derry had been masters of their own destiny, and the failure to achieve the required result from that platform, will rankle with Cassidy and the Derry squad. With three minutes remaining the sides were level, but Derry heads dropped in these closing stages after Eoghan Brown's missed free, and the Red Hands didn't need a second invitation to mop up the remains.

The game was effectively lost in these dying moments of the game after what had been an encouraging second half performance, but the seeds of defeat had been sown during the first half. Derry looked aimless during an opening period that was riddled with errors; poor decision making, bad passing, a failure to find space, and a large amount of turned over possession contributed to Derry's first half downfall.

It was a million miles away from the football Derry have been trying to play this season. Football that lit up the games against Dublin and Westmeath. But Tyrone are a different animal, and (in direct contrast to their opposition) Derry failed to turnover any possession in the opening period. This goes some way to explaining why Sean Cavanagh and Owen Mulligan had so much space to set up attacks, and why the marauding half-backs Davy Harte and Sean O'Neill were able to pick off points at ease.

Meanwhile the Oakleafers were getting bottled up in a packed Tyrone defence. The wing half-forwards of James Kielt and Paul Young (not the ideal position for either player) failed to provide an outlet for Derry coming out of defence. As a result, Derry's attacks were ponderous and predictable. Paddy Bradley's accuracy in front of the posts kept his side in touch, but as Cassidy pointed out post-match, Derry were lucky to be trailing by only 0-8 to 0-5 at the half-time break:

"In the first half Tyrone should have been more ahead. We were lost in the middle of the mire that was going on. Our players were struggling with the type of gameplan that Tyrone were working to. Half-time couldn’t come quick enough for us."

Things improved dramatically in the second half. Derry hit five points without reply, as the introduction of Brian mullan enabled Derry's tactical gameplan to get back on track. (And the Glenullin man might just have done enough to cement his place for May.) Coupled with a domination of midfield (as Patsy Bradley and Enda Muldoon regained their good form from the previous week), the Oakleafers were suddenly in control of the game with Muldoon, Paul Murphy and Eoin Bradley landing scores.

Unfortunately, the 0-10 to 0-8 scoreline was about as good as it got for Derry. Tyrone soon pulled level, before a dramatic fall from Sean Cavanagh duped the referee into signalling a penalty for the home side. Shane McGuckin saved Mulligan's effort to keep Derry in the game, and despite retaking the lead from a Paddy Bradley free, the Oakleafers couldn't push on to close out the win.

It was an incident-packed game in Omagh, with Tyrone showing their (too familiar) dark side when Tommy McGuigan kneed Sean Martin Lockhart between the legs. He was very lucky to escape without a red let alone a yellow - and he went on to score two important frees. Ryan McMenamin has already received censure following the Kerry game in February, and Mickey Harte can take this one to the European Court of Human Rights if he so wishes, but a retrospective suspension for the Ardboe man would be richly deserved.

Unsurprisingly Harte was still pleased after the game as his team took a step towards avoiding relegation:

"There are defining moments in your season and this is possibly a defining moment for us. I knew the boys were well up for this game and I knew that we often come out fighting when our backs are against the wall and I’m very pleased. It takes a degree of pressure off (as regards relegation), but at this time of year performances are even more important and I felt performances were better than results suggested."

Derry may never have a better chance to help relegate their rivals. Damian Cassidy was correct when he said Derry had the game won, but they lacked the cutting edge to actually win it. Playing well in patches didn't help their cause either. After dominating the second half against Galway also and only getting a draw, Derry have shown an inability to get scores at the crucial times. There's a facet of play to work on as the Championship approaches.

All in all, Derry won't be too worried with the loss. It's never a good thing to lose to Tyrone, but perhaps the Oakleafers will learn more in defeat. And there's a lot to learn, as Derry's new style of play struggled for consistency against top class opposition. It happened at the beginning of the month against Kerry also. There's no doubt Derry have improved this season, but to beat the best teams in the country there is much more work to be done.

DERRY: S McGuckin: G O’Kane, K McCloy, SM Lockhart: P Cartin, B McGoldrick (0-1, free), SL McGoldrick: Patsy Bradley, E Muldoon (0-1): J Kielt (0-1), P Murphy (0-1), P Young; Paddy Bradley (0-6, three frees), E Bradley (0-1), Paul Bradley. Subs: B Mullan for Paul Bradley (25 mins), K McGuckin for B McGoldrick (57 mins), E Brown for Young (58 mins), J Diver for Muldoon (60 mins).

Derry Can Claim Derby Victory

The Derry team to play Tyrone at Omagh on Sunday: S McGuckin, G O'Kane, K McCloy, SM Lockhart, P Cartin, B McGoldrick, SL McGoldrick, Patsy Bradley, E Muldoon, J Kielt, P Murphy, P Young, Paddy Bradley, E Bradley, Paul Bradley.

With Division 1 status for 2009 safely assured, Saturday's game against rivals Tyrone affords Derry manager Damian Cassidy the opportunity to once again try out new ideas, and give squad members a further chance to try and claim a first team spot.

After an encouraging performance against Galway, the new(ish) midfield pairing of Enda Muldoon and Patsy Bradley will once again get a chance to shine. They dominated for long periods at Glen, with some superb fielding from both parties lighting up Derry's second half performance. Bradley supplied the defensive work ethic in the absence of the injured Fergal Doherty, while Mudloon exuded class in helping to setup and finish Derry scores.

Cassidy has been at pains to convince us all that Derry are not reliant on just one person. In recent years Fergal Doherty has fallen into the 'over reliant upon' category, but if Derry's midfield pairing convinces once again at Omagh, then the Doherty 'myth' (as Cassidy describes it), will fade even more. And the all-important squad strength will deepen further.

Elsewhere, James Kielt returns to the half-forward line for his first start since the Kerry game. He will be joined there by Paul Young and Paul Murphy as Derry strain to find some sort of answer to the perennial half-forward problem. Paul Murphy holds all the necessary credentials for the centre-forward role. His ball-winning ability is exceptional, and his shooting and passing deadly accurate. He is certainly the potential starter in this berth come May, but the flank positions are still up for grabs.

Young and Kielt will get their chance in Healy Park. But they are under pressure to perform. Enda Lynn (injured) and Brian Mullan - after impressing in recent games - will be waiting in the wings (no pun intended). Young had a decent second half at Glen against Galway, while Kielt looked lively when brought on. They will hope to continue this form against Tyrone.

In the full-forward line Paul Bradley comes in for SLaughtneil teammate Barry McGuigan. His presence completes a Bradley trio in this line, and the change in personnel reflects the competition for this position. Seamus Bradley, Eoghan Brown, McGuigan and Kielt have also featured in this position this season with Barry McGuigan probably most impressive against Dublin.

We will have to wait until tomorrow night to find out if Paul (it seems more efficient to use forenames at this stage) joins (Paul) Murphy in the half-forward line, or if Eoin will be brought out deeper, in an effort to further increase the half-forward options.

In defence, Niall McCusker (injured) and Ryan Dillon are replaced by Gerard O'Kane and Sean Lockhart. O'Kane is likely to be tasked with following Colm McCullagh out the pitch, while McCloy and Lockhart can toss for the pleasure of marking Sean Cavanagh. Lockhart's mobility may give him the nod.

In goals, Shane McGuckin completes the changes by replacing John Deighan, while Kevin McGuckin returns to the bench after missing the game against Galway.

Derry come into this game with little pressure, but against a backdrop that includes the looming cloud of potential relegation, Mickey Harte and his Tyrone team don't quite have this luxury. Nevertheless, the Tyrone side named is reasonably experimental.

PJ Quinn and Cathal McCarron fill the corner back slots, and they will face the prospect of a difficult night against the Bradleys. Sean O'Neill continues at centre-back while Aidan Cassidy starts at centre-forward. Pivotal positions filled by relative newcomers to the Red Hand setup, Harte is proving that despite the clamour for important points, he is intent on building his squad for the summer.

Tyrone's 2009 form has been indifferent, while the Oakleafers - pushing for a top-two finish - have been faring much better. None of this will matter tomorrow evening however, as the intense derby rivalry ensures that the worn old cliche of 'form being thrown out the window' once again rings true. And with both teams displaying a continuing air of experimentation, it leaves this game impossible to predict.

Derry's greater fluency so far in this NFL campaign (where they have a +23 points difference over Tyrone), and an ever-simmering competition for places in Damian Cassidy's squad, might just be enough to tip this one in the Oakleafer's favour.

Neighbourly Love

It's only a league game. Only March. Just a kickabout as the lingering air of winter finally breathes its last. Experimentation still abound as the Championship grows nearer. The performance is more important than the result.

Forget all that. This is Tyrone. And as Damian Cassidy correctly says in today's Irish News, "This is a derby game and there’s not an inch asked or given. It wouldn’t matter if it’s a challenge match, League or Championship game – that’s the way these matches are."

So, Saturday evening's game at Omagh could be described as an important battle in the midst of a rather insignificant NFL war. With Derry already assured of Division 1 football next year, Cassidy is placing all the pressure on the O'Neill county ahead of this game:

"I suppose the pressure is on Tyrone because they need the points a lot more than we do, so therefore you’d expect Tyrone to come out with all guns blazing and going for the jugular because two points will probably be enough to leave them comfortable."

The pressure may be off Derry, but make no mistake, the Oakleafers will be going out all guns blazing themselves once David Coldrick throws the ball in at Healy Park. The fans that travel across the Sperrins would expect nothing else. They will remember fondly the trip to the same venue in 2006, when Derry outplayed the then All-Ireland Champions. The only regret was that they were All-Ireland Champions at all. And they can claim a similar status this time around. Hopefully the Oakleafers can produce a similar result to leave our dearest neighbours sweating in a relegation battle.

In the media this week there has been talk aplenty of last year's NFL meeting between the two sides. Given how the season panned out for both teams, it is understandable that Derry's four-point win at Celtic Park had been forgotten. But it has reared it's head as the weekend approaches, and, as it turns out, the Tyrone players remember it only too well. Sean Cavanagh seems to remember it particularly clearly:

"We played them last year up in Celtic Park and there were a few 'tackles' that night. Paddy Bradley was toeing the ball a bit at the end, maybe a wee bit of showboating from the Derry guy's that maybe didn't sit too well with the Tyrone supporters or us."

It was indeed a bit of showboating, and enjoyable as it was at the time, the Summer belonged to Tyrone. Despite this success, Damian Cassidy reckons last April's game still rankles Cavanagh and his teammates:

"There is something in that when they keep referring to it. It’s just not a throwaway remark on his behalf; there’s something to it and something that they’ve harboured. Other than that, I don’t see what last year’s League game has anything to do with this year’s League game."

I'm not a psychoanalyst, but it's fair to say the Tyrone lads might want a modicum of revenge on Saturday night. Forget the fact they have Sam sitting in their trophy cabinet, and forget the prize of two league points on offer; there is an argument to settle. A local feud. It may be forgotten come September, but a Derry win on Saturday evening would still be very sweet.

Big Guns Show Early Hands

We had an interesting weekend's action in the opening round of the NFL. At Croke Park, where all eyes were waiting on the fireworks and pyrotechnics to light up the cold night sky, the Dubs and our lovely neighbours Tyrone reminded us what this GAA lark is really all about. Surely this will go down as an all-time NFL classic, and we'll be doing well to witness a better game during the whole of the 2009 season.

I was under the impression that nights in January were for heavy slogging matches, unbearable training runs, and the sweat dripping down your face forming speedily into ice. Yet here were two teams producing an excellent game of football, with fantastic individual performances on both sides. Tyrone started off in the first-half as if it was August 16. Their movement of the ball and clinical finishing was unstoppable. 1-18 is big scoring in the middle of winter (and they hit that same tally against Monaghan in their previous game in the McKenna Cup). Stephen O'Neill has been their chief protagonist, looking like he's raring to go for the year ahead; and Tyrone in general look like a team on a mission to defend Sam. Bad news for the rest of us.

Dublin's renaissance in the second-half was largely down to Ciaran Whelan turning up at midfield, and Bernard Brogan carrying a serious attacking threat. What a great player he's turning out to be. However, Pat Gilroy has a lot of work to do on this showing as Dublin looked every bit as naive at times as they have done over the past couple of seasons. Time will tell.

Down in Kerry, Jack O'Connor cut a familiar figure on the sideline as he watched his side tear up new McKenna Cup champions Donegal. The Ulstermen had no answer to the forward threat of Cooper, Tommy Walsh and Darren O'Sullivan. But star of the show was David Moran. He's spent a season or two doing an apprenticeship in the half-forward line, but at midfield yeterday he was simply brilliant, totally dominating from start to finish. O'Connor is talking about readying Kieran Donaghy for the Derry match in March. Isn't that something to look forward to?