DERRY TO FACE TYRONE ONCE AGAIN

Allianz NFL – Derry v Tyrone (Healy Park Saturday 7pm)

DERRY TO FACE TYRONE ONCE AGAIN

After Sunday’s disappointment Derry simply have to get back on the horse again.  When they ride into the Healy Park on Saturday evening they face their old rivals Tyrone for a fourth time under Damian Barton’s reign.

Derry have made five changes in the wake of the Galway defeat which sees Eoin McNicholl come in between the posts, Oisin Duffy is handed this first start of the season at corner back.

At midfield Niall Holly comes in alongside Emmett Bradley with Sean Leo McGoldrick and Emmett McGuckin starting in attack.  Cailean O'Boyle is once again listed among the subs.

Mickey Harte has named eight of the team which started the McKenna Cup final and his nephew Peter among the forwards for his first league start.

Chrissy McKaigue would be expected to pick up Sean Cavanagh if he lines up at full forward with Duffy and Karl McKaigue assigned to McAliskey and Ronan O'Neill.

At the other end of the pitch Emmett McGuckin and Cathal McCarron will renew acquaintances after McGuckin was sent off in the meeting earlier in the season.

It has all the ingredients of high powered game which will attract a huge attendance to Healy Park.

The well-documented McKenna Cup encounter had punters on the edge of their seats in the Athletic Grounds and this week’s latest instalment will surely bring a sizeable crowd.  It was muted as top of the table clash but Galway scuppered that idea with their ambush at Celtic Park.

It leaves this weekend’s game all the more crucial for Derry as they eye a top two spot and a passport back to Division One.

Cailean O’Boyle highlighted this in the aftermath of last week’s game.  “With a lot of teams sitting on four points and Tyrone on six we really have to go for it over the next few games.”

O’Boyle hopes to be available for selection and knows what is at stake on Saturday.  “There would have been a lot of pressure anyway but it will really be a dogfight down in Omagh now. We need to come out of the game with something.”

Brian McGuckin echoed the importance of a win this weekend and the Tyrone native can see another close encounter between Ulster’s great rivals. 

"There is a healthy rivalry between the teams. There hasn't been a kick of a ball between ourselves and Tyrone this year and I don't expect there to be on Saturday.”

With the soul searching that accompanies a disappointing defeat, the Oakleafers will be hurting after a disappointing installment last weekend and could be a wounded animal.

Last weekend Tyrone had ‘keeper Mickey O’Neill to thank for making a save late on to secure two league points against Laois.  It highlights the competitive nature of this league. 

It took a series of late interceptions to see Derry over the time against Cavan.  It is fine margins, which makes last weekend’s Galways dominance of Derry more of a conundrum.

There will be plenty of twists and turns on the road before the spoils are handed out in this highly charged division two.  Teams will certainly take points off each other over the next few weeks.

After the McKenna Cup Final, Mattie Donnelly and Conor Meyler with their post match comments both pointed at the Derry/Tyrone rivalry.  They both expressed how the counties needed each other and they helped bring out the best in each other.

After Derry’s flat performance, this week’s clash will give them a terrific incentive this week.  A high profile game with plenty at stake will whet the appetite, not that you ever need motivation for a derby game.  O’Boyle certainly thinks so.

"This Tyrone game has come at the perfect time.  It will get everyone up and running and it is a game we need in order to progress out of this league. So it comes at a good time.”

On Saturday night it will be just over 11 weeks to the Celtic Park championship showdown.  The permutations and eventualities will be dissected in detail over the coming weeks but for now it’s all about the race for promotion.

THE TEAMS: 

Derry: Eoin McNicholl, Oisin Duffy, Chrissy McKaigue, Karl McKaigue, Gareth McKinless, Brendan Rogers, Mark Craig, Niall Holly, Emmett Bradley, Daniel Heavron, Ciaran McFaul, Sean Leo McGoldrick, Ryan Bell, Emmett McGuckin, James Kielt.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan, Aidan McCrory, Ronan McNamee, Cathal McCarron, Barry Tierney, Rory Brennan, Tiernan McCann, Colm Cavanagh, Mattie Donnelly, Kieran McGeary, Peter Harte, Richie Donnelly, Conor McAliskey, Sean Cavanagh, Ronan O’Neill.

NFL – Story so Far

·       Derry 3-13 Fermanagh 1-10

·       Cavan 1-11 Derry 1-12

·       Derry 2-12 Galway 1-18

·       Tyrone 0-10 Cavan 0-8

·       Galway 1-9 Tyrone 1-11

·       Laois 0-14 Tyrone 1-14

LAST MEETING – Saturday 23^rd January (Athletic Grounds)
McKenna Cup Final - Tyrone 1-22 Derry 1-17 AET

It's hard to believe it'll only be six weeks since this epic battle in the Athletic Grounds.  It made the headlines for the sendings off late on, injuries to Brendan Rogers and Enda Lynn's injury.

The action packed game ebbed and flowed with Derry looking like winning the game in normal time the Oakleafers failed to see out the game when it was within their grasp.

Typified by Conor Meyler's sheer energy Tyrone ran out five point winners with Darren McCurry's late penalty putting a gloss on the scoreline.

TYRONE: N Morgan, C McCarron, R McNamee, HP McGeary (0-1), T McCann (0-1), J McMahon, B Tierney, C Cavanagh, C Clarke, H Og Conlan, M Donnelly, C McShane (0-3), L Brennan (0-4, 2f), R O’Neill (0-1), P Quinn.

Subs: P McNulty for Clarke (h-t), C McAliskey (0-3) for Quinn (h-t), C Meyler (0-3) for Conlan (h-t), D McCurry (1-3) for O’Neill (46), N Sludden (0-2) for McMahon (50), J Munroe (0-1) for McShane (70), K McGeary (71), C McCann (71), P Hampsey for Tierney (72) McShane for HP McGeary (75)

DERRY: T Mallon, M Craig C Mullan, K McKaigue, G McKinless, C McKaigue, D Heavron, B Rogers, E Bradley (0-2), E Lynn (0-3), J Kielt (0-3), B Heron, S Heavron, C O’Boyle (0-1), R Bell (1-1).

Subs: C McAtamney (0-1) for Rogers (1), C Bradley (0-01) for S Heavron (31), O Duffy (0-01) for Craig (40), C Kearns (0-2) for Heron (49), D McKinless for Bell (52), N Forrester (0-01) for G McKinless (58), G McKinless (71), G McWilliams (0-01, f) for Kielt (78), P Quinn for D Heavron (81), S Mulgrew for Kearns (82)

Referee: N Mooney (Cavan).