The prospect of taking on one of the form forwards in Ulster holds no fear for Derry's Dermot McBride, as he tells Paddy Heaney... IF selected to start against Down on Sunday, Dermot McBride will have the unenviable task of marking Donal O'Hare, the Mourne county's highest scorer in the National League.
O'Hare (pictured below) served notice of his considerable talent during the spring when he outfoxed some of the best defenders in the country. Even Cork's Michael Shields failed to curb the Burren man.
During Down's League encounter against the Rebels, O'Hare posted 0-9 (0-4 frees). In his next outing against Mayo, he registered 0-8 (0-7 frees). O'Hare was man-of-the-match in both encounters.
McBride's name was not listed in the starting 15 sent out by the Derry camp last night, but that doesn't mean the Ballinascreen ace won't feature at Celtic Park on Sunday. Plagued by injuries for the last two seasons, he doesn't want to watch any more matches in a tracksuit - and the prospect of going toe-to-toe with the in-form O'Hare would hold no fear for McBride.
"I missed the last two League games and the final as well, which was disappointing and frustrating, but it was good to see the lads doing well. It was good to win a trophy," he said.
Being asked to mark the opposition's best forward isn't a new challenge for McBride. It's always been that way for him.
In 2010, he made his Ulster Championship debut against Armagh in Celtic Park. Sean Martin Lockhart's retirement the previous year meant Damian Cassidy had to find a new man-marker for Steven McDonnell. Cassidy selected McBride. The debutant didn't let him down. McDonnell was held to 0-1 from play. It was substitute Jamie Clarke who caused the damage.
At 24 years of age, McBride is already a seasoned campaigner. Brought into the panel by Paddy Crozier in 2009, he has played under Cassidy, John Brennan and, most recently, Brian McIver.
During that time, McBride has witnessed his fair share of lows and that explains why he appreciates the current mood in the Derry camp. Un-beaten in their last seven games, the feelgood factor at the county's press night in Owenbeg was palpable.
"When you win games it brings on the confidence," said McBride. "Football is your life, so if you win a game on a Sunday then that week is going to be good.
"It improves your mood and everything in life feels like it is going well. Winning creates a good atmosphere around the place. Training will go well and the confidence levels go up. Winning makes a huge difference."
The manner of some of Derry's victories has also helped to boost morale. Several games could have gone either way. The League final was the best example. Following a tit-for-tat second half, the teams were level in the 70th minute. Derry scored 1-3 during injury-time.
McBride believes the experience of winning a photo finish will benefit Derry on Sunday.
"In the run-up to the game we were saying that it would be good preparation for the Championship be-cause we knew that it would be a tight game. Obviously that experience will stand to us in a tight Championship game," he said.
THE other pleasing aspect about Derry's performances in the League was that they were no longer flummoxed by a blanket defence. For years, the team routinely malfunctioned once they encountered a system where the route to Paddy Bradley was blocked.Despite the fact that Eoin Bradley was double-teamed in Croke Park, the Oak Leafers posted 1-15 in the League final. Their haul of 1-2 in added time was scored after Bradley had been substituted.McBride is confident that Derry's gameplan will not unravel if Down plant a wall of bodies in their defence."In the past we have found it difficult to break down the blanket de-fence. But we have been working on our forward play and our defensive play. Brian [McIver] and Paddy [Tally] have been putting different scenarios in place and it has been going well so far," he said.Of course, Armagh made similar noises ahead of their ill-fated display against Cavan. It's one thing having a plan - executing that plan is another thing entirely.Do the Derry players know their precise roles? Do they have a detailed understanding of how they are supposed to play?McBride's response was emphatic. "Oh we do," he said. "That is what we have been working on. We haven't been looking at Down. We have been looking at ourselves. Everybody knows what to do."You saw that in the National League final. When the fellas came off the bench in the National League final they knew what to do. It's a very, very good setup and everybody is happy with it, and everybody has been buying into it."We know what to do and hopefully that will show in Celtic Park."