DERRY have poured cold water on speculation that experienced defender Dermot McBride has left the panel, insisting he will return should they get past Meath this weekend.
The Ballinascreen man has been plagued by injury over the past few seasons. A troublesome knee injury has kept him sidelined for the duration of Derry’s season so far, with his last full game coming in the McKenna Cup final defeat by Tyrone in January.
He missed the entire National League and was only fit to come off the bench in the Ulster Championship opener against the Red Hands, in which Derry were comfortably disposed of by their arch-rivals.
A recurrence of the injury led to him missing the win over Louth last weekend, but he has featured in a number of recent games for his club. He played the full 60 minutes last Saturday evening as Ballinascreen overcame Swatragh in their Division One clash and Derry coach Brian McGuckin confirmed he has been released to his club in the short-term.
“That’s a positive, but every time he plays, it’s four or five days before he can do anything again with the knee,” said McGuckin.
McBride didn’t train with Derry last week and will not be at Owenbeg this week either, but has been given a programme to follow by the county side as he tries to regain his match fitness.
Sean Leo McGoldrick is unlikely to have recovered from injury in time, with reports suggesting he could be sidelined for another month with the knee injury that ruled him out of the win over Louth.
Daniel McKinless will also miss the clash with Meath and a subsequent third round Qualifier, should Derry win. The Ballinderry man starred in his side’s win over Coleraine last Sunday, but he departs for a 10-day holiday in America on Friday. He is, however, still part of the panel.
Derry players sat out the club games last weekend, barring a couple who are on the comeback trail after injury. Enda Lynn made his long-awaited return to action after suffering a broken ankle in that thrilling McKenna Cup decider back in January.
The flying half-forward kicked six points for Greenlough, two from play, but was understandably short of match practice as they ran the Loup close in their top-flight encounter.
Gerard O’Kane played for Glenullin in their Intermediate League clash with Castledawson, while Mark Craig played the full hour of Dungiven’s draw with neighbours Banagher. Kevin Johnston also came off the bench in the dying moments of that game.
Thomas Mallon has recovered from the shoulder injury that kept him out of the first round Qualifier win over Meath. He played for the Loup against Newbridge last weekend and has been back in training with Derry. He is likely to regain the number one jersey, though goalkeeping coach Mickey Conlan is likely to remain as part of the match-day squad.
The veteran Ballinderry stopper has been taking part in recent in-house games after the two young goalkeepers who were called in to replace Eoin McNicholl both left the panel.
Glen’s young number one Callum Mullan-Young and Derry city-born youngster Dylan Doherty, who plays his club football for Moville in Donegal, are no longer involved.
Derry assistant manager Tony Scullion, speaking last week, said the Oak Leafers cannot afford to squander the kind of chances they passed up against Louth if they are to progress on Saturday.
“The performance was very good, but we’d need to learn to take our chances because we missed 3-6 or 3-7 in the first-half. You’ll eventually be punished for doing that.
“Luckily enough on the day, we weren’t punished by Louth. You can’t afford to miss three one-on-ones, as we did in the first-half. You have to be taking the biggest majority of your chances.
“Against Louth, we played very well and had some great passages of football. Yes, we gave away a couple of silly goals. In general, we played very well to get over that game.”
