Derry and Tyrone teams named

Derry have made a signal of intent by naming a relatively unchanged line-up ahead of Saturday's (7.30) McKenna Cup Final against Tyrone in the Athletic Grounds

Karl McKaigue replaced Ryan Ferris in the first half against Cavan and retains his spot in defence alongside his brother Chrissy.

There is also a family connection around the other change with Shane Heavron starting in attack, joining his brother Danny.  The man to lose out is fellow Rossa attacker Conor Kearns so it's a case of one Magherafelt man of the match for another.

In all the other games Damian Barton and his management team made wholesale changes but this more settled look perhaps gives an indication of Derry finding some continuity and familiarity ahead of what is going to be a tough league campaign. 

Oak Leaf fans will no doubt be interested in how Derry set themselves up.  Will O'Boyle and Bell be stationed inside with the ploy of getting Emmet Bradley and James Kielt to float diagonal balls to stretch Tyrone's defence?  Cavan were able to limit this tactic in the game six days ago. Heavron, McKinless and Lynn can provide the industry combined with a direct running threat. 

Mickey Harte has opted for a different approach and makes thirteen changes from their win over Fermanagh, with only Cathal McCarron and Colm Cavanagh retained.  It shows the depth of resources in the O'Neill County and Harte is using both knock out McKenna Cup games to give his players an opportunity and show what they can offer in the National League.

Derry Team:

1. Thomas Mallon (Loup)
2. Ciaran Mullan (Eoghan Rua)
3. Dermot McBride (Ballinascreen)
4. Karl McKaigue (Slaughtneil)
5. Gareth McKinless (Ballinderry)
6. Chrissy McKaigue (Slaughtneil)
7. Danny Heavron (Magherafelt)
8. Brendan Rogers (Slaughtneil)
9. Emmett Bradley (Glen)
10. Enda Lynn (Greenlough)
11. James Kielt (Kilrea)
12. Benny Heron (Ballinascreen)
13. Shane Heavron (Magherafelt)
14. Cailean O'Boyle (Lavey)
15. Ryan Bell (Ballinderry)

16. Eoin McNicholl (Glenullin)
17. Conor Kearns (Magherafelt)
18. Conor Murphy (Dungiven)
19. Christopher Bradley (Slaughtneil)
20. Shane Mulgrew (Ballinascreen)
21. Conor McAtamney (Swatragh)
22. Neil Forester (Steelstown)
23. Mark Craig (Dungiven)
24. Ryan Ferris (Magherafelt)
25. Peter Quinn (Magherafelt)
26. Oisín Duffy (Foreglen)

Tyrone Team:

1 – Niall Morgan – Éadan na dTorc 

2 – Cathal McCarron – An Droim Mhór 

3 – Ronan McNamee – Achadh Uí Aráin 

4 – Hugh Pat McGeary – Cabhán a’Chaortainn 

5 – Tiernan McCann – Coill an Chochair 

6 – Justin McMahon – An Omaigh 

7 – Barry Tierney – An Omaigh 

8 – Colm Cavanagh – An Mhaigh

9 – Conor Clarke – An Omaigh 

10 – Harry Óg Conlon – Éadan na dTorc 

11 – Mattie Donnelly – Trí Leac 

12 – Cathal McShane – E R Uí Néill 

13 – Lee Brennan – Trí Leac –

14 – Ronan O’Neill – An Omaigh 

15 – Patrick Quinn – Dún Geanainn 

16 – Michael O’Neill – Cluain Eo 

17 – Mark Bradley – Coill an Chlochair

18 – Sean Cavanagh – An Mhaigh 

19 – Pádraig Hampsey – Oileán a’Ghuail

20 – Connor McAliskey – Cluain Eo 

21 – Conall McCann – Coill an Chochair 

22 – Darren McCurry – Éadan na dTorc

23 – Padraig McNulty – Dún Geanainn 

24 – Jonathan Monroe – An Charraig Mhór

25 – Conor Meyler – An Omaigh 

26 – Niall Sludden – An Droim Mhór 

27 – Kieran McGeary – Cabhán a’Chaortainn

28 – David Mulgrew – Ard Bó

Derry v Tyrone Part 3

Dr McKenna Cup Final – Derry v Tyrone (Saturday 7.30pm Athletic Grounds)

Plenty has changed since Tyrone steamrolled Derry in the O'Fiaich Cup in Crossmaglen at the tail end of last year.  Derry made huge strides and have given some positive signs in their four McKenna Cup outings.  One thing that hasn't changed though is Tyrone's desire to win trophies and treat each competition in a serious manner.

After beating Louth to win the O'Fiaich Cup, Mickey Harte's men have one hand on another piece of silverware, with their neighbours and rivals Derry standing in their way.  This is the third meeting of the teams so both sets of supporters will be eagerly awaiting the team news from both Garvaghy and Owenbeg this week.  

 

Will the teams go all out to win it with their systems in place?  I very much doubt it.  Or will they throw fifteen jerseys into the middle of the dressing room floor and tell the players to wear any number?  It will be somewhere in between I would guess.  I can't see Mickey Moynagh or Colm 'Banty' McGuigan allowing their prize kit to be anything other than nicely hung up on the hooks.

After their win over Cavan, Damian Barton said he was more focussed in Derry's performance than anything else.  

"If we have a performance we’ll not worry about the trophy. The performance and everything else will take care of itself. The fact that it’s Tyrone is of little relevance. It’s more at this stage looking at how we play and how we can develop players. Tyrone obviously as I said are a benchmark for a lot of teams in terms of some of their qualities but we’re getting there.”

When the Ulster championship draw was made I'm sure Mickey Harte and Barton would have been looking at their league meeting as an opportunity to study their opponents and suss each other out along the line.  It's Barton's first year of county management whereas Harte has been there since late 2002.

Now the Derry v Tyrone saga will nearly have it's own box set on sale by the time the summer comes around.  The prospect of five games between the sides will be a bizarre situation with the Celtic Park showdown on 22nd May the culmination of all the preamble.  Two league points and the McKenna Cup are not to be sniffed at, but you can't imagine any open top buses being in operation on Sunday night.  Tyrone are going for their fifth successive title with Derry bidding for their first since 2011.

The group game in Owenbeg recently was possibly more of a barometer.  Derry's hunger early on was evident and the the need for Derry to give Tyrone 'a contest' ringing in their ears.  The Oak Leaf men were rampant but when Tyrone eventually seized control of the middle third and challenged Derry's kick outs as they turned the game on it's head.  

The Derry camp will no doubt be talking about the twenty eight minute spell where they went AWOL and Tyrone outscored them 1-10 to 0-1.  Meanwhile over in Garvaghy Tyrone will be addressing their defensive deficiencies and won't want to 'be cut open' for four goals as Mickey Harte referenced after their last encounter.

If both teams can improve in these two aspects of their game, there will be contentment.  Then again it depends how much each team is going to 'go for' the game as to how satisfied a performance will make them.  Harte wants to win every game.  Barton hints at not being overly concerned but his sideline demeanour shows his ultra competitive nature.  

When the Championship comes around both camps will surely be looking to have an extra dimension to throw into the mix. Ryan Bell's comments after the game tells us where his priority is at.  "I’m working hard at it and the training is good but I’ve a long way to go.  What I’m looking at is May and the Ulster Championship.”

Will both managers look to keep something in reserve and take another look at any panellists who have not got sufficient opportunities to date? A final would be a great chance to road test some players to see what they can offer in the championship cauldron further down the line.

There is more questions than answers but with over 5000 people in Owenbeg for the last outing and with the bite that always comes with Derry and Tyrone games a bigger crowd is expected in Armagh on Saturday evening when Cavan whistler Noel Mooney throws in the ball.

When the dust settles on this final the debate will turn towards promotion from division two.  For now it’s all about two rivals going head to head with the Dr McKenna Cup up for grabs. Who said this was only pre-season? After all, we all need something to get our teeth into.

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PATHS TO THE FINAL

Group A

Derry 4-16 Antrim 2-12

Derry 4-6 Tyrone 1-16

Derry 0-17 Queen's 2-8

Tyrone 2-9 Antrim 0-6

Tyrone 3-17 Queen's 1-11

Semi Finals

Derry 1-17 Cavan 1-10

Tyrone 1-13 Fermanagh 0-9

DERRY ADVANCE TO ANOTHER MEETING WITH TYRONE

Ryan Bell's tally of 1-5 spearheaded Derry's 1-17 to 1-10 win over Cavan on Sunday in the Athletic Grounds. Some of his point taking was sheer class and Derry's attacking game was attractive on the eye. 

The game was cruising along nicely for the first twenty minutes and the sides were level at 0-4 each. Play ebbed and flowed with Derry kicking away cheap possession but with Danny Heavron sitting back in the pocket Cavan were unable to hurt Derry on the breakaway.

Derry's change of direction saw them adapt from a kicking game which wasn't getting them anywhere to penetrative running game. It was typified by the play that led to Derry's goal. Gareth McKinless ran the heard of the Cavan defence and won a penalty.

With three converted spot kicks already in January, nobody was going to wrestle the ball from Ryan 'Sucky' Bell and he wrong footed Raymond Galligan and kicked Derry into overdrive. "I used to hit them for Cookstown Youth when I playing soccer," outlined man of the match Bell after the game.

For the remainder of the half Derry were majestic in everything they did. They were dominant on their own kick outs. This gave them control and they took Cavan apart to lead by seven points at half time (1-10 to 0-6).

Derry didn't have it all their own way in the second half as Cavan stepped up their efforts and it was a case of Derry simply seeing out the game but Damian Barton is looking more from his players. 

"In the second half, we created opportunities but we didn’t take them. Six or seven wides and a couple short into the goalie’s hands you wouldn’t be happy with. On another day you will need one of those at least."

It now sets up a final with Tyrone on Saturday (Athletic Grounds 7.30). It will be the third meeting of the season between the two counties, but manager Damian Barton is not over concerned but will looking for a performance. "The fact that it’s Tyrone is of little relevance. It’s more at this stage about looking at how we play," said the Derry boss.

Derry scorers: Ryan Bell 1-5, Enda Lynn 0-2, Emmet Bradley 0-2, Cailean O'Boyle 0-2, one free, James Kielt 0-2 one free, Mark Craig 0-1, Conor Kearns 0-1, Shane Heavron 0-1 free and Danny Heavron 0-1.

Cavan Scorers: Killian Clarke 1-0, Jack Brady 0-3 frees, Conor Moyagh 0-2, Gearoid McKernan 0-2, Eugene Keating 0-1 free, Seanie Johnston 0-1, Ciaran Brady 0-1 

Derry: Thomas Mallon, Ciaran Mullan, Dermot McBride, Ryan Ferris, Gareth McKinless, Chrissy McKaigue, Danny Heavron, Brendan Rogers, Emmet Bradley, Benny Heron, James Kielt, Enda Lynn, Conor Kearns, Ryan Bell, Cailean O'Boyle.

Subs: Karl McKaigue for Ryan Ferris, Shane Heavron for Conor Kearns, Mark Craig for Gareth McKinless, Conor Murphy for Cailean O'Boyle, Oisin Duffy for Benny Heron, Christopher Bradley for James Kielt.

Cavan: Raymond Galligan, Josh Hayes, Killian Clarke, Padraig Faulkner, Ciaran Brady, Conor Moynagh, Niall Murray, Fergal Flanagan, Brian Sankey, Barry Doyle, David Givney, Enda Henry, Jack Brady, Gearoid McKernan, Paul O'Connor.

Subs: Michael Argue for Barry Doyle, Killian Brady for Josh Hayes, Niall McDermott for Paul O'Connor, Eugene Keating for Enda Henry, Seanie Johnston for Jack Brady, Levi Murphy for Fergal Flanagan.

MATCH STATS

	Derry	Cavan
SCORES	1-17	1-10
SCORES FROM PLAY	0-14	1-6
WIDES	7	9
DROPPED SHORT	5	3
MISSED GOALS	1	1
TOTAL MISSED	1-12	1-12
FREES WON INSIDE 45m	6	6
OWN KICKOUTS WON (CLEAN)	6	5
OWN KICKOUTS WON (BREAKS)	2	4
OWN KICKOUTS WON (SHORT)	7	5
OWN KICKOUTS LOST	5	11
% OF OWN KICKOUTS WON	75%	56%

Derry Team to face Cavan

Derry have named their team to face Cavan on Sunday at the Athletic Grounds (2pm) in the semi-final of the Dr McKenna Cup.

Included in team are Queen's player Brendan Rogers along with UUJ duo Cailean O'Boyle and Gareth McKinless.  

Trainee teacher Brian Óg McGilligan is listed among the substitutes, with all four players having already featured for their university sides in the group stages.

Following on from previous games, Derry have opted for a physical presence in their inside line - this time in the form of Mark Lynch and Cailean O'Boyle.  After using all goalkeepers in the group games Thomas Mallon is retained.

1. Thomas Mallon (Loup)
2. Ciarán Mullan (Eoghan Rua)
3. Dermot McBride (Ballinascreen)
4. Ryan Ferris (Magherafelt)
5. Gareth McKinless (Ballinderry)
6. Chrissy McKaigue (Slaughtneil)
7. Danny Heavron (Magherafelt)
8. Brendan Rogers (Slaughtneil)
9. Emmett Bradley (Glen)
10. Benny Heron (Ballinascreen)
11. James Kielt (Kilrea)
12. Enda Lynn (Greenlough)
13. Conor Kearns (Magherafelt)
14. Mark Lynch (Banagher)
15. Cailean O’Boyle (Lavey)

16. Ciaron O’Boyle (Lavey)
17. Oisín Duffy (Foreglen)
18. Karl McKaigue (Slaughtneil)
19. Peter Quinn (Magherafelt)
20. Mark Craig (Dungiven)
21. Neil Forester (Steelstown)
22. Brian Óg McGilligan (Banagher)
23. Ryan Bell (Ballinderry)
24. Shane Heavron (Magherafelt)
25. Conor Murphy (Dungiven)
26. Christopher Bradley (Slaughtneil)

Derry and Tyrone into McKenna Cup Semi-Finals

Cavan and Fermanagh will have something to say about it but Derry could face Tyrone for a fifth time the season as both teams are kept apart in the semi-finals.  

Tyrone, Fermanagh and Cavan have qualified as group winners but Derry's superior score average takes them into the last four as the best placed runner-up.


The Ulster Council have fixed the Derry game for Armagh and Tyrone will travel to Clones.

Sunday 17th January

2pm - Derry v Cavan (in Armagh)

2pm - Tyrone v Fermanagh (in Clones)

Derry 0-17 Queen's 2-8 - Live Updates

Final Score - Derry 0-17 Queen’s 2-8


Ryan Bell and Che Cullen both sent off for 2nd bookable offence




67mins Dermot McAleese GOAL Queen’s 2-8 Derry 0-17




66mins Shane Heavron point Queen’s 1-8 Derry 0-17 - it's looking like a semi final v Cavan on Sunday.




65mins Niall Loughlin point Queen’s 1-8 Derry 0-16 


61mins fifth point for Conor Kearns Queen’s 1-8 Derry 0-15 - Anthony Doherty sent off for Queen’s - 2nd yellow for kicking the ball away.




57mins Massive score  from James Kielt Queen’s 1-8 Derry 0-14 - moved started by Mick O'Kane short kick out




54mins Ryan Bell point Queen’s 1-8 Derry 0-13  - vital point to stem the Queen’s comeback




Mark Craig replaces Neil Forester




48mins Marty Clarke free Queen’s 1-8 Derry 0-12  - three Queen’s points on the bounce

45mins Shea Heffron point Queen’s 1-7 Derry 0-12


Niall Loughlin on for Gavin McWilliams

44mins - Brendan Rogers collectors item Queen’s 1-6  Derry 0-12

43mins Subs - Ruairi Corrigan on for Michael Monan for Queen’s, James Kielt replaces Shane McGahon - Sammy Bradley for Shane Mulgrew

39mins - Ryan Bell point Queen’s 1-5  Derry 0-12




38mins - a fourth point for Conor Kearns Queen’s 1-5  Derry 0-11 - Ryan Bell heavily involved in buildup.  He is in great nick.




Gavin McWilliams goal chance saved - run by Neil Forester after catching kick out


1 change in Derry - Mick O'Kane into goals for Ciaran O'Boyle




At the minute Derry are in pole position to qualify for semi-finals. Time will tell.  Cahair O'Kane our man on the calculator here.

Half time - Derry two ahead but looking the comfortable side.  Lynn a great link going forward.  Conor Kearns looking the part so far.  If Marty Clarke had his shooting boots this could be level.




It'll be interesting to see if Derry will use the opportunity to run the bench in the second half.  Those on bench not to feature in McKenna Cup yet - Ciaran Mullan and Peter Hagan.


Biggest debate in the press box is a delegation here from Minnesota watching the game.  




Another wide from Marty Clarke - wearing a pair of Down shorts!

31mins - Shane McGahon point Queen’s 1-5  Derry 0-10 - Derry open bit of gap despite dominance.




31mins - Marty Clarke free Queen’s 1-5  Derry 0-9 


Queen’s started well but have faded. Kearns heading for MOM performance.  Derry no goal yet.

Update Tyrone 1-5 to 0-0 ahead against Antrim, UUJ 2-1 Armagh 0-3

26 mins - Ciaran Harney point Queen’s 1-4  Derry 0-9 




26 mins - Kearns point again Queen’s 1-3  Derry 0-9 

25 mins - Mark Lynch free and Conor Kearns points Queen’s 1-3  Derry 0-8 

23 mins - Ciaran Harney free Queen’s 1-3  Derry 0-6 - Queen’s level again




23 mins - Shane Mulgrew point Queen’s 1-2  Derry 0-6


Enda Lynn goal attempt well saved by Deeney - looks like he is going to be a great counter attack option

17 mins - Conor Kearns point Queen’s 1-2  Derry 0-5 

17 mins - Gerard McGovern GOAL Queen’s 1-2  Derry 0-4 - cross field pass not dealt with by 'keeper


12 mins - Neil Forester point Queen’s 0-2 Derry 0-4 

12 mins - Ryan Bell point Queen’s 0-2 Derry 0-3 - Quick free by Shane Heavron



8 mins - Mark Lynch point Queen’s 0-2 Derry 0-2 - Counter attack by Neil Forester


Enda Lynn sitting back in defence wearing no5 for Derry - Shane Heavron up front with Mark Lynch.

3 mins - Gerard McGovern point Queen’s 0-2 Derry 0-1




2 mins - Chrissy McKaigue point Queen’s 0-1 Derry 0-1


17secs - Portglenone's Dermot McAleese point for Queen’s 0-1 Derry 0-0  


Team News - One change Ryan Bell starts ahead of James Kielt

Derry: Ciaran O’Boyle, Karl McKaigue, Dermot McBride, Peter Quinn, Enda Lynn, Chrissy McKaigue (0-1), Neil Forester (0-1), Conor McAtamney, Shane McGahon (0-1), Conor Kearns (0-5), Ryan Bell (0-3), Shane Mulgrew (0-1), Shane Heavron (0-1), Mark Lynch (0-2, one free), Gavin McWilliams.

Subs: Mick O’Kane for Ciaran O’Boyle, James Kielt (0-1) for Shane McGahon, Christopher Bradley for Shane Mulgrew, Niall Loughlin (0-1) for Gavin McWilliams, Mark Craig for Neil Forester

Queen’s: Jonathan Deeney, Greg McCabe, Che Cullen, Aaron Morgan, Niall Delargy, Brendan Rogers (0-1), Shea Heffron (0-1), Henry Brown, Anthony Doherty, Ciaran Harney (0-2, one free), Martin Clarke (0-2 frees), Dermot McAleese (1-1), Michael Monan, Donal McKeever, Gerard McGovern (1-1).

Subs: Ruairi Corrigan for Michael Monan, Martin Hearty for Ciaran Harney, Aidan Fagan for Aaron Morgan, Ruairi Wells for Donal McKeever, Fiachra McGoldrick for Greg McCabe.