Sport

Derry manager McErlain: referees need to protect Glass

CONOR CLASS: Derry manager Damian McErlain is hoping that talisman Conor Glass (far left, number 12) is given some protection from the officials on Sunday after coming in for some rough treatment in their run to the Ulster MFC final
CONOR CLASS: Derry manager Damian McErlain is hoping that talisman Conor Glass (far left, number 12) is given some protection from the officials on Sunday after coming in for some rough treatment in their run to the Ulster MFC final CONOR CLASS: Derry manager Damian McErlain is hoping that talisman Conor Glass (far left, number 12) is given some protection from the officials on Sunday after coming in for some rough treatment in their run to the Ulster MFC final (MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN)

Ulster Minor Football Championship final: Derry v Cavan (tomorrow, Clones, 12pm)

AHEAD of Sunday’s Ulster Minor Football Championship final against Cavan, Derry boss Damian McErlain has claimed Conor Glass needs more protection from officials.



McErlain believes Glass has been singled out for rough treatment by opposing teams in Derry’s run to the provincial final, although the Oak Leaf star has still been able to play a big role for his side.



Glass contributed seven points in a man-of-the-match performance in the semi-final victory over last year’s All-Ireland finalists Donegal.



The Watty Graham’s, Glen clubman has been heavily linked with Australian Rules outfit, Hawthorn Hawks, and McErlain feels he needs to be protected by refereee.


“Conor’s a class act, he’s one of the Glen lads and he has the experience of playing at a high level,” he said.



“Everybody targets him and that’s one thing we’d be concerned about, so we’d be hoping that the referee looks after him and identifies that.



“He scored seven points the last day, a lot of them were dead balls, but Cavan are probably looking at that and thinking if we stop Glass that’s half the job done.



“So there is a pressure on him but it’s no problem to Conor as he’s used to it. I don’t mind the opposition talking about him because there’s no way of keeping him completely quiet.”



The 18-year-old midfielder showed his versatility when he dropped back to play at full-back in the dying stages of the quarter-final against Down, although McErlain admitted it wasn’t as a result of a managerial decision.



“It’s a bit of a myth because he made that decision himself,” he said.



“His man was put into full-forward for the last five minutes and Conor went with him to make sure nothing silly happened at the end of that game.



“It shows that level of maturity and experience he has – he’s the captain of the team but he’s a quiet lad, he’s one of those captains that lead on the field rather than talking a lot.”



Glass is one of six Watty Graham’s clubmen on the panel and their experience has been vital for the county cause.



The Maghera club completed a remarkable four in-a-row in the Ulster Club Minor Football Championship in January, and McErlain admits he has been taken by the maturity of all of the Glen contingent.



“That’s one thing I was very impressed with so far, the temperament of the Glen lads, they’re used to the big occasion and they don’t let the occasion get to them,” he said.



“We’ve other lads that have won the Rannafast Cup with St Pat’s, Maghera and we’ve a really good spread of 10 or 11 clubs represented on the first 15 – it’s a pretty widespread group in terms of the clubs and backgrounds.”



Meanwhile, Cavan manager Danny Brady (below) admits he has been impressed by the progress made by his opponents this year.



“Going by watching Derry the last day, they’re a serious team and a lot of people probably underestimated them coming in against Donegal,” he said.



“We knew from the time of the Ulster League final [Derry lost to Donegal] that they’re a damn good team.



“I’d say Donegal in hindsight took the eye off the ball for the semi-final and in fairness to Derry they were way the better team.”



However, Brady said that his side would be concentrating on their own game, rather than focussing on what their opponents can do.



“We don’t really dwell on tactics as such,” he said.



“We have a simple gameplan, if we’re on the ball everyone should be moving and if we haven’t got the ball everyone should be tackling – we’re not going to change on Sunday and we’re hoping those ingredients get us over the line.”



Whatever happens, both sides will still be in the All-Ireland shake-up, with a quarter-final against Kildare the defeated team’s consolation, although McErlain believes the prestige attached to winning an Ulster title exists at minor as well as senior level.



“That’s another reason why the Donegal match was such a big game, it really lengthens your season if you get to the Ulster final,” he said.



“Neither of us [Derry or Cavan] have won an absolute plethora of minor titles or Ulster titles of any sort in recent years so we’re going to be equally hungry to win.



“As I said to the group, even at minor level, Ulster is still the one to win, and if you win it everyone knows you really have achieved something special.”