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.

Silly Goals Cost Derry

He wasn't happy three weeks ago when Derry suffered a four point defeat against Meath, and the mood of Derry hurling boss Brian McGilligan has brightened little after last weekend's NHL defeat to Kildare by an identical margin.

After the game against the Royals the Dunigiven man claimed that his Derry side were guilty of hurling "you would see U12s at". A harsh criticism that has reared its head once again in light of Saturday's reverse:

“This is one we left behind. A couple of bad mistakes cost us. The ’keeper was at fault for two of them, the corner-back was caught flat-footed, ball blocked down and it’s in the back of the net. It’s the basics, you wouldn’t do it at U12 hurling but a lot of these boys are not much older.”

Those U12s are getting a hard time of it!

Three goals conceded in a twelve minute period of the first half was the chief reason for this defeat. Having opened a six point lead early on, the Oakleafers were soon chasing a sizeable deficit that they couldn't claw back. "The couple of free goals in the first half tore the arse clean out of it”, said McGilligan; and you can't say fairer than that!

Derry were aided by a magnificent scoring haul of 13 points from Michael Kirkpatrick, and it is a match they should have won. Defeat however, consigns Derry to the lower reaches of Division 3A, with promotion hopes dashed. McGilligan though is happy to look towards bigger challenges later in the year:

"Overall I’m happy enough with the way we’re performing at the minute. We’re just trying to get it together for the Christy Ring Cup. We’re trying to get a settled team. In our minds we think we have a settled team but then you see boys showing well. The door’s not closed on anybody yet."

McGilligan will hope the silly mistakes so prevalent in Derry's previous two games will have been eradicated by the time the summer comes around.

Derry Dig Deep for Draw

If you can't win a game of football then a draw will just have to do. Often an unsatisfactory result for both sides, it can leave some regret in a victory left behind. At Glen yesterday that was not quite the case as Derry and Galway played out a rather unusual thing - a deserved draw.

Some Derry followers may disagree, and Damian Cassidy reckons that his side were "three or four points" the better team, but at the final whistle the Oakleaf men should have been happy enough with the result considering the position they found themselves in just fifteen minutes earlier.

And this was the most impressive aspect of Derry's performance at the Maghera venue. After Michael Meehan's penalty had put Galway three points ahead, and with Derry facing into a strong breeze, it looked like the Tribesmen would pick up their fifth consecutive NFL victory. But Derry did not yield. They stepped up their game considerably, dominating the midfield exchanges, and kept possession with fair degree of craft and composure. A three point deficit needed to be closed; and a battling Derry side ensured it was.

Even when Derry went a further point down with a couple minutes remaining, they still found a way to save the game. Thanks in no small part to an excellent long-range score from the mercurial Enda Muldoon.

If there is one positional conundrum that this season's NFL campaign has answered, it is this: Enda Muldoon is the partner of choice for Fergal Doherty at midfield. The Ballinderry man was simply outstanding at Glen. Backing up his fielding and passing ability with two excellent (and important) scores, Muldoon adds a creative element to the Derry engine room. Midfield is his best position, and we should see him there come May.

Yesterday (in the absence of Fergal Doherty) Muldoon was ably partnered by Patsy Bradley, who put in an excellent performance himself. So much so that Damian Cassidy conceded after the game that Derry are not reliant on Doherty in this area:

"There's this myth going around that Derry depend on Fergal Doherty at midfield. That myth was just set aside today. It's about the team and one individual cannot be more important than the team. Patsy had a great game today and today we showed that we are a team."

Derry's teamwork certainly showed in the second half when their backs where against the wall. Having lost Barry McGoldrick to a yellow card before half-time and Niall McCusker to injury shortly after, Derry had lost the spine of their defence. Add to this the (somewhat ruthless) half-time substitutions of John Deighan (replaced by Gillis) and Ryan Dillon (replaced by McKaigue), and suddenly the Oakleafers had an almost totally new defence against one of the best forward units in the country.

It didn't phase them however, with Sean Leo McGoldrick and Paul Cartin driving forward at will. McGoldrick was particularly impressive in a ball-carrying role, helping to set up continuous Derry attacks, while Cartin scored an important point.

This was a high-quality and highly interesting game of football. Derry showed considerable stature across the field, and bar their efforts in the midfield region Galway did likewise. Paddy Bradley hit 0-7, but he was eclipsed by Michael Meehan's 1-5. Meehan looked dangerous whenever he came within sniffing distance of the ball, and he did an excellent job of keeping his side in the game, especially in the first half when Derry threatened to open up a half-time deficit. Thanks to Meehan and a bundled goal by Paul Conroy, that deficit never appeared.

Galway boss Liam Sammon was happy that his team managed to get at least a draw:

"I'm happy that we're coming away with something because it looked for quite a long period that we'd get nothing at all out of it. I thought Derry played well in the second half. They created a lot of chances, so we're possibly lucky to get away with a draw. They kept the ball very well and worked it up the field and there were periods we couldn't get our hands on the ball."

Both managers will be pleased that they didn't lose this game, but Cassidy might be more pleased for seeing his team refuse to panic when the questions were asked, and battle hard to gain a result. A team missing Fergal Doherty, Kevin McGuckin and Sean Lockhart were able to dominate a near full-strength Galway team for long periods.

The win wasn't forthcoming, but that is only a minor niggle. Competition for places continues to grow as the summer approaches, and this Derry team progresses with every game played. These are the primary aims of Derry's NFL campaign.

Who knows, it may be summer when these sides meet again. The result will be the only important thing that day.

DERRY: J Deighan; K McCloy, N McCusker, R Dillon; P Cartin (0-1), B McGoldrick (0-2, frees), SL McGoldrick; Patsy Bradley, E Muldoon (0-2); P Young (0-1), P Murphy, B Mullan; Paddy Bradley (0-7, five frees), E Bradley, B McGuigan. Subs: G O’Kane for B McGoldrick (35 mins, yellow), B Gillis for Deighan (half-time), C McKaigue for Dillon (half-time), B McAlary for N McCusker (44 mins), J Kielt for McGuigan

Galway to Provide Tough Examination

The Derry team to play Galway at Glen on Sunday: J Deighan, K McCloy, N McCusker (capt), R Dillon, P Cartin, B McGoldrick, SL McGoldrick, Patsy Bradley, E Muldoon, P Young, P Murphy, B Mullan, Paddy Bradley, E Bradley, B McGuigan.

In recent years Galway have been something of a bogey team for Derry. Certainly on the All-Ireland stage where they beat the Oakleafers in All-Ireland Semi-Finals in 1998 and 2001. Add in a couple of All-Ireland Club Semi-Final defeats for Derry sides against opposition from the Tribes County (Dungiven v Corofin and Loup v Caltra) and something resembling an Indian sign begins to appear.

In the NFL however, things haven't been so bad. Derry recorded victories over Galway in 2006 and 2007, before a defeat at Salthill during last season's campaign prevented the Oakleafers from recording three successive victories.

All history now. The current crop of Derry Senior footballers will be concentrating this weekend on gleaning another couple of league points, and it is Galway who stand in their way. The Tribesmen are the current in-form team in the country. They sit top of Division 1 and have swept aside challenges from the likes of Dublin, Tyrone and Donegal.

While Derry have also recorded comfortable victories in this campaign, Sunday's game at Glen will provide them with a truer examination of their credentials as the hectic league programme continues at pace. And the frenzied nature of the current NFL schedule has brought four changes to the lineup that outplayed Dublin last weekend at Parnell Park.

Fergal Doherty, Kevin McGuckin, Sean Lockhart and Enda Lynn all carry minor knocks and do not feature in Sunday's squad. Damian Cassidy correctly sees little point in risking these players, and their absence will allow him to view a few other options in his panel.

Kevin McCloy and Ryan Dillon come into a defence that will try and shackle the ace marksman in Ireland at this moment - Michael Meehan. It is likely that Dillon will be asked to carry out the unenviable task of trying to mark the Caltra man. It is a chance for the Swatragh player to stake a claim for a more regular place in the side, but he will come up against a forward who notched 1-9 last week against Donegal. Derry's system will concentrate on trying to cut out the supply - the full-back line will hope they succeed!

Patsy Bradley will partner Enda Muldoon in midfield, and Paul Young replaces Lynn at right half-forward. The Loup man suffered an injury prior to last Saturday's game in Dublin, and he will be keen to make use of this week's chance.

Derry's forward unit impressed most in the Capital last weekend, and Oakleaf fans will hope that Eoin Bradley continues in that hot vein of form. But it is Galway's attacking prowess that worries ahead of the the game at Glen. Along with Meehan there is Sean Armstrong, Padraig Joyce and Cormac Bane to contend with. There are formidable playmaking and striking options in their forward unit and Derry's new look defence will have their work cut out.

Donegal faltered against them last week as Galway recorded an easy victory, yet manager Liam Sammon wants to see improvements for the trip to Maghera:

"Going up to Derry next week we'll have to make a big improvement if we are to beat them up there. Certainly that performance [against Donegal] wouldn't produce a win against Derry."

If Derry win on Sunday they will go level on points with Galway, but it is a big ask. Liam Sammon has added a meaner streak to this side - noticeable especially in their victory against Tyrone in Omagh - and when coupled with the lethal attacking options at his disposal, it is clear that Galway will provide an unsettled Derry side with an extremely tough challenge.

It is a game to look forward to though, and Damian Cassidy will once again use a game against top opposition to try and increase the strength of his squad. A win would be a bonus.

Saturday Night's Alright

Saturday's victory in Parnell Park all but ensures that Derry will be playing NFL football in Division 1 next season. This was the primary aim at the start of the NFL campaign, and it now affords Damian Cassidy the chance to further explore and develop his squad as the Championship approaches.

Players and fans alike realise that the "real stuff" is for later in the year, and victory over a poor Dublin side yields two league points and only that. The win was both encouraging and satisfying nonetheless, but while the Oakleafers can reflect on a positive performance, some unwanted media attention has fallen on a struggling Dublin side.

In an article in the Irish Independent, Eugene McGee described the game as a "rude awakening" for new Dublin manager Pat Gilroy.

"Derry arrived into town last Saturday night and blew Dublin footballers, both seasoned and greenhorns, away. This was one of the most comprehensive beatings inflicted on Dublin in Parnell Park for a very long time and it is sure to change the air of conviviality that the new management was so anxious to portray."

Never one to mince his words, McGee described the Dublin performance as "insipid" on Setanta Sports' coverage of the game. In print he has upgraded this analysis to "deplorable". He continues to suggest however, that it is still early days for this Dublin side, and it is a point reiterated by Tom Humphries in the Irish Times:

"Dublin’s apparent sluggishness on Saturday night was down to Derry’s superior fitness at this time of the year. Derry looked like a side who are five to six weeks further down the road on their fitness. Dublin are working to a different schedule."

It isn't surprising that the media reserve any praise on offer for an excellent Derry performance. McGee suggests that Derry are responding to a "totally different and attractive approach", while Humphries opines that "Derry are pretty much there":

"Consistency is what they are looking for under Damian Cassidy, a serious manager whom one imagines will get that extra few per cent out of a team which looked when winning the league at this venue last year to be capable of doing serious damage in the championship."

Talk of last year's NFL win should be a sobering thought for Derry fans and it now appears to be a by-word for a side yet to produce the goods come Championship time.

It may have only been the league, but on a moderately mild evening in Parnell Park, Spring was in the air. Let's hope some of the class Derry exuded will be in evidence again come the Summer.