TEN weeks ago, Dermot McBride’s mind wasn’t preoccupied with Derry’s game against Down in the Ulster Championship.
Instead, McBride was more concerned with a sharp pain in his side. It started on a Saturday night and McBride couldn’t understand the source of the discomfort. The next day, he tried to ignore his ailment and he played in a challenge match for Ballinascreen. But the pain never eased.
“I couldn’t figure out what it was,” said McBride.
“It was nearly like a sore stomach. But I didn’t think much of it. I thought I was a wee bit sick and I would be alright. After the game, it was still there and it wasn’t going away.
“I thought ‘I need to get this checked out'. My sister Mary is a doctor and I was chatting to her. I was also chatting to Doctor Logan [the GP in Draperstown]. Both of them told me to go to hospital straight away.”
The Derry defender received good advice. At 26 years-of-age, he was informed he had appendicitis and an operation was required.
“I am grand now,” said McBride when quizzed about his wellbeing.
McBride was one of a glut of players who missed most of Derry’s League campaign. Deprived of their Slaughtneil players and experienced performers like Fergal Doherty and McBride, it wasn’t a huge surprise when the Oak Leafers were relegated. While outsiders might conclude Derry’s demotion had a negative impact on the squad’s morale, McBride insisted the players were unaffected.
“We tried out different things during the League. Some people said we had a bad League. But you could look at it a different way. We used different players. We used different systems and we tried different things out," he added.
“Against Longford last year, we had to go with players who were untested. After this League campaign, with the players that were missing, we were able to try new players out and different systems. We have come out of it knowing what we can do.”
Reports from within the Derry camp have indicated, since the start of the year, Brian McIver’s sole focus was the Championship. However, that strategy carry its own pressures
Last year, after getting beaten in the first round of the Ulster Championship and the first round of the Qualifiers, Derry still had the consolation of looking back on a League campaign in which they reached the final after wins over Dublin and Kerry. This time around, if Derry have a poor Championship run, it will be difficult to extract anything positive from the season. But McBride said Derry were unburdened by fear.
“There is a good feeling in the camp. We are positive. We are looking forward to playing Down and we fully believe that we can beat them," he said.
“We understand that the task ahead is going to be huge. They’ve had a fantastic League campaign. They beaten good teams. It’s going to be very difficult for us. They got promoted. They are now a Division One team and we are a Division Two team, but we are going to Celtic Park with the full intention of beating them.”
While McBride maintained there isn’t a huge gap between Division One and Division Two, he does believe a distinction can be drawn between the two teams that will compete in Celtic Park on Sunday.
“There is only a slight difference between Division One and Division Two. Winning games makes a bigger difference. That breeds confidence and Down will have that confidence at the minute," he said.
“We have taken the positives out of the League campaign and we feel that we have a side that is good enough to beat Down. We know the task facing us. But we know that, if we play to our potential, that we will hopefully win the game.”
If he is deemed fit to play, McBride will probably be given the job of marking Down’s top marksman Donal O’Hare. McBride had no hesitation in admitting he doesn’t derive any great pleasure from the role of marking a player for an entire game.
“Running after a man for 70 minutes isn’t enjoyable, especially in the heat of the Championship, it’s not enjoyable," he admitted.
“But that’s not what it’s about. It’s the winning at the end of it which drives you on.”
While McBride said he was driven by the satisfaction he gains from winning, it’s also obvious he relishes a good duel.
Commenting on the pressure of marking a talented footballer like O’Hare, he said: “I don’t know yet if I am even on the team. But that is what Gaelic football is all about. It’s all about the one-on-one battles. It’s the battle of one team against another team. That is enjoyable.
“When you are training, and you are doing the weights, you are striving to win those individual battles so that you can help the team win the overall battle. That is what drives you on."
