THE most successful club in the history of the Tyrone Senior Football Championship enters the 2016 title race on Friday.
Carrickmore head the roll of honour with 15 O’Neill Cup triumphs to their name and, if they are to add to that tally this year, they will have to come out on top in a local derby against Greencastle. Healy Park is the venue for a first round tie that, at first glance, may appear like a straightforward outing for a Carmen side packed with household names. But they have been having a difficult time in the league, slipping into the bottom half of the Division One table following some disappointing results, and need to produce a big performance if they are to mount a serious championship challenge.
Greencastle will sense their opportunity, and feel that a genuine possibility of an upset exists on Friday evening. However, Carrickmore’s rich tradition is a key element which must be factored in. They are notoriously difficult to beat in championship football, and will take that resilience on to the pitch for this important tie.
Former Tyrone players Conor Gormley, Mark Donnelly and Martin Penrose are still going strong, and the emergence of Johnny Munroe as a star performer has added to the Carmen armoury. Barry Daly, Ruairi Loughran and Paul McAleer are others who will carry the challenge to a Greencastle side that performed strongly when the sides met in the league, before losing out by five points.
Last season, Greencastle got through to the championship quarter-final with a first round win over Eglish, before losing to eventual champions Trillick. Sean Warnock will need to make his presence felt around the midfield area, and they have an important score-getter in the shape of Cahir McCullagh, one of the top attackers in the county. If Sean Fox and Chrissy Gillen can also chip in with a handful of scores, then this could be a close-fought encounter.
Carrickmore lost last year’s first round tie to Omagh, but they should have enough to get them through this one and set up a last eight meeting with either Clonoe or Omagh. The winners’ quarter-final opponents will be either Omagh or Clonoe, who face off a in a blockbuster clash at Dungannon on Sunday.
Two other ties complete the first round programme this weekend, with Killyclogher facing Errigal Ciaran at Carrickmore on Saturday, and champions Trillick taking on Eglish at Augher on Sunday. Two of the quarter-final pairings have already been decided following the outcomes of last weekend’s games.
Dromore will play Ardboe and Coalisland face Kildress.
