Electric Ireland Ulster MFC semi-final: Derry v Donegal (today, Clones, 5pm)
THE last Derry team to win the Ulster minor title in 2002 included Gerard O’Kane, Patsy Bradley and Mark Lynch.
In the words of current manager Damian McErlain, the aforementioned players have been “carrying the senior team since.”
He feels that it is about time that that conveyor belt from minor and U21 to senior cranked back into action.
“It would be good for Derry to get a wee bit of success but it’s not just about winning the minor title – we need to be producing a bit of momentum within the county and building a culture that lads absolutely want to play county football for Derry,” said McErlain.
“And [it’s important] that the set-ups are right and that the structures are right and that the right people are in place to take them on through, whether it be U21s or seniors and all the rest.
“That team [2002] – if you went through the club football scene in Derry – those lads are all top players now in terms of their clubs even if they haven’t made it for Derry.”
McErlain’s charges are big underdogs against the reigning Ulster champions and Donegal manager Declan Bonner can call on a number of players who also featured in the county’s run to last year’s All-Ireland final, where they lost out to Kerry. McErlain has serious respect for a county currently setting the benchmark at minor level in the province.
“Yes, it’s a big day and a big challenge for us. Obviously Donegal are going in as serious favourites,” he said.
“At minor level it is unusual for a team to be so hot a favourite for the whole thing so far out. But, look, we’ve played them twice this year. We played them in the league early on at Easter and they give us a bit of a lesson, so we learned from that game.
“We saw the standards that they have set in terms of their fitness, their organisation, their ability all over the pitch and it was a real learning curve. Then we played them three weeks later in the league final and, of course, we narrowed the gap so that was encouraging from our point of view.”
To get to this stage, Derry had to overcome a stiff challenge from Down in a game which finished 2-11 to 1-7. Level six times in the game, it took two goals in the 47th and 48th minutes to break the Mourne resistance. It was a contest that McErlain is certain his young Oak Leafers will have derived plenty from.
“When you get over the first round, every team, whether in a club championship or a county championship always takes a step on because they learn so much in that 60 minutes. It’s not the same as playing league games and it’s not the same as training,” said McErlain.
If Derry are to upset the odds, they will undoubtedly require a big display from their star attacker, Glen’s Conor Glass, whom McErlain describes as a “serious player”.
Glass kicked three frees against Down and when his team were under the cosh in the closing stages of that contest, he moved himself to full-back to relieve the pressure at the edge of the Derry square.
In truth, however, Glass cannot win the game on his own and Derry will need big performances from one to 15 and the likes of Michael McAvoy and Niall Keenan will have to keep it very tight at the back.
Donegal, however, are a seasoned outfit and Danny Rodgers, Stephen McMenamin, Conor Doherty, Ethan O’Donnell and captain Michael Carroll (above) all remain from last year. They are taken to progress to a final meeting with Cavan.
