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McAliskey aims to tighten Tyrone grip on McKenna Cup

Derry’s Daniel McKinless (left) and Tyrone’s Connor McAliskey at Thursday’s launch of the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup final at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh
Derry’s Daniel McKinless (left) and Tyrone’s Connor McAliskey at Thursday’s launch of the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup final at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh Derry’s Daniel McKinless (left) and Tyrone’s Connor McAliskey at Thursday’s launch of the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup final at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh

Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup final

CONNOR McALISKEY made his inter-county debut against Derry in the Dr McKenna Cup and scored a goal at Healy Park. Tyrone won 1-14 to 0-15.

That was 2013 and, three years on, the Red Hands’ grip on Ulster’s pre-season competition is vice-like. On Saturday night, they can win their fifth title on-the-trot and McAliskey - who missed last year’s final with injury - wants to be part of it. 

“It [the McKenna Cup] is good, it gives you a chance to fight for your place for the rest of the year,” said the Clonoe forward. 

“2013 was my first year and I had a few good performances that led on to me playing National League and Championship. If you start well in the McKenna Cup, it’s a good indication that you’ll push on and play later on in the year.”

As usual, Tyrone have set the benchmark in the competition which had been looked at in some quarters as a ‘run out for the lads’ before the more serious business of the National Football League took over.

“There are counties that don’t take it that seriously but, as we don’t play friendlies, we take every game seriously and we want to win every game,” said McAliskey. 

“There seems to be a lot of other teams thinking the same way and, when teams are looking to put in good performances and boys are looking to put in good performances for their team, it’s going to make for a competitive game of football and teams are pushing on trying to get a cup.”

Tyrone have had 18 individual scorers from the 32 players who have taken part in this campaign and McAliskey leads the scoring charts with 2-10 so far. His haul includes six points against Derry in an, at times, bad-tempered group game in Owenbeg that Tyrone won by a point despite conceding four goals. 

However, Damien Barton’s side responded well to the loss and have since beaten Queen’s and Cavan: “He [Barton] is a new manager who is trying to make an impact straight away and show what he’s doing for the team,” said McAliskey.

“You can see that Derry are making good progress under him and he will be looking to come away with a cup in January, which would be a great start for them - hopefully we can stop that. We set out at the start of the year to get five McKenna Cup games and Saturday night is the fifth and we want to get a victory if possible.” 

The neighbours have league and Championship meetings to come, but McAliskey rejects the notion a win on Saturday can lay down a marker for either: “January is January and May is May and, by the time it comes around to the Championship, it’ll be a completely different game,” he says. 

“It’s going to be up-tempo, more intense, there’ll be more at stake and nothing that happens in the rest of the year is going to matter. It’s a rivalry, it’s our neighbouring county and, in the group stage, there was maybe a bit of physicality. But football is a physical game and that’s what you want to be playing so, if you’re on the field and it heats up, that’s okay. We’ll just see how it goes and hopefully we’ll get the victory.” 

For McAliskey, Saturday’s final is a chance to claim the cup and also to stake a claim for a place in the starting line-up for the league opener against Cavan on January 31: “When I came in, I knew the McKenna Cup was when you had to show that you had the ability to be on the panel and I’m sure it’s the same for the new players in 2016,” he said.

“They’re coming in and they have to show Mickey [Harte] that they have the ability to play for Tyrone, which obviously they do, but they have to prove it out on the field. When they’re trying so hard, you have to push yourself on for the National League next week - every man is trying to get a position on that team.

“Everyone will be trying to get a game on Saturday night and whoever plays will be trying to show Mickey that they’re ready for the National League.  The league is the next step up and getting off to a winning start is very important. Anyone who’s playing well will be given the chance to go out and play against Cavan next Sunday.

“There’s definitely huge competition in the squad and that’s a benefit to Tyrone knowing that we have a squad of 35, 36, 37 players and everyone is looking at each other saying ‘he could take my place’. That’s pushing everyone on.”