DAMIAN BARTON has called on his Derry team to rediscover the intensity of their opening two games after a badly-timed break from action.
His reign has begun in near-perfect fashion as victories in their opening two games left them top of Division Two heading into the two-week break. The momentum of a strong showing in the McKenna Cup, where they only lost the final to Tyrone after extra-time, carried into wins over Ulster rivals Fermanagh and Cavan.
This weekend, they host a Galway side Derry have beaten just once in their last five league meetings, and who ended both the 2015 Championship campaign and the reign of Brian McIver last July.
The westerners had been fancied to test Tyrone’s credentials three weeks ago, but Mickey Harte’s men were relatively comfortable 1-11 to 1-9 victors, a scoreline that flattered Kevin Walsh’s side.
“The break was something we could maybe have done without,” said Barton.
“Others maybe needed the break in Division Two to regroup. It’s very important from our perspective that we keep moving in a positive direction. I felt we were and have been.
“Galway are going to be a huge task, they’re a very good side and it’s that stage of the year where points lost or gained are going to decide who’s in the top three, the top two, the bottom three.
“It’s a very competitive league and it’s one of those challenges that will give us a fair idea of where we are. It’s very important that we retain the competitiveness that we showed in the first couple of games.
“There are teams sitting without any points at the minute in Division Two who I have no doubt are better than their position suggests. Every game is going to be significant, but I do agree, the next number of games are going to decide the shape of the Division Two table.”
The big plus point has been the return of half-a-dozen Eoghan Rua players to join Ciaran Mullan - who has made a good impression at corner-back since the year began - and Gavin McWilliams.
Sean Leo, Liam and Barry McGoldrick, Niall Holly, Declan Mullan and Colm McGoldrick have all been brought back in after they lost the All-Ireland junior hurling championship final to Kilkenny club Glenmore earlier this month. Their involvement in Eoghan Rua’s run to the Derry SFC final last October, and the subsequent Ulster-winning hurling campaign, meant none of those players have been available to Barton in the early part of this season.
Having seen them miss pre-season and the McKenna Cup, the Derry boss admits trying to get them all game time as the season hots up could prove troublesome: “Our opportunity to give them an opportunity didn’t exist. It would be very unfair if we didn’t afford that opportunity," Barton said.
“They are in contention, but they’ll have to play themselves into a team that has been working quite effectively. Trying to afford them the opportunity to work their way into the team is going to be a challenge for all of us. We need to give them the opportunity to play football and be seen in the football environment. We need to look at the chemistry of the overall team and what they can bring to it.”
When Barton took the Derry hotseat, he spoke of wanting to develop "athletes" during his term in charge. Coleraine won a county title in 2010 and have been in around the latter stages ever since, based partly on their conditioning.
Asked if the returning sextet lined up with his athletic vision, Barton said: “You’re talking players who have been at the top in terms of Derry club football, so they’re very serious athletes with experience. They’re people we need to look at in a serious light.
“They’re very strong physically and, potentially, we just need to give them game time. It’s the only thing that’s going to develop that level of fitness and sharpness. They may have an opportunity at the weekend.”
