Football

Damien Barton admits absentees are taking their toll on Derry

 Barton's young Derry side was taught a harsh lesson by Tyrone in Saturday night’s Dr McKenna Cup final.
 Barton's young Derry side was taught a harsh lesson by Tyrone in Saturday night’s Dr McKenna Cup final.  Barton's young Derry side was taught a harsh lesson by Tyrone in Saturday night’s Dr McKenna Cup final.

DERRY boss Damian Barton admits the absence of key players “is starting to catch up on us” after watching on as his young side was taught a harsh lesson by Tyrone in Saturday night’s Dr McKenna Cup final.

Aside from the players who opted off the panel last year, the Oak Leafs are without the Slaughtneil contingent as the Derry football and hurling champions prepare for All-Ireland title tilts on both fronts.

Barton was also keen to call upon some of those involved with Glen U21s, but they have been focused on their Ulster campaign.

As a result, Derry have been left short-handed, and the team that took the field in Newry was almost unrecognisable from that which started last May’s Ulster Championship meeting between the cross-Sperrin rivals.

Barton admits losing so many men has taken a toll.

He said: “I think we have been very understanding, let’s put it like that, to the clubs.

“Slaughtneil, I mean we haven’t asked anything of the boys at all. I think that is only right. It is a big loss of players.

“If you consider defensively, three of the Slaughtneil guys and maybe a few more to come in, so it has been quite difficult for us and it is starting to catch up on us. It could well do.

“Other counties really ring-fence their players and don’t let them outside of that. Is it right, is it wrong? I don’t know. I just know that in terms of clubs, we should give them a bit of latitude at this time of the year and hopefully they come back to us intact, and bring something to us.”

Looking on from the sideline on Saturday night  can’t have been a particularly pleasant experience for the Derry boss as, after a decent start, Tyrone assumed control and coasted to a comfortable nine-point victory.

Yet Barton wasn’t too deflated by the nature of the defeat, pointing to the performance in ousting Monaghan a week previous as a real indication of where the Oak Leafs stand heading into a Division Two campaign that opens up at home to Clare on Sunday.

“We are disappointed for the supporters that made the effort to come down, the players are disappointed. But really and truly, we were beaten by a much better team,” said the Derry boss.

“Emotionally and physically they were on a different level as the game wore on. 

“Our defence played valiantly but I think there was so much coming through the middle third it was very hard to cope.

“Obviously we had a couple of players we couldn’t call upon. Without demeaning this, we got our final last week in terms of how the guys responded. I hope the players can reflect on the confidence of beating Monaghan.

“Tyrone are very slick and they are ahead of most teams at the moment, certainly us. 

“But we play next week and it is going to be a huge deal for us. We have to deliver and I hope we recover physically and emotionally.

“Clare is a big game, a home game and a game we have to win, we have no choice.”

And Barton is under no illusions about the size of the task the Banner, and their other Division Two rivals, present.

“We have had a look at them.

“I suppose if you want to use Tipperary as the yardstick, they beat Tipp by eight in the League last year and we know the journey that Tipp went on.

“There are fine margins between the teams in Division Two, I would say the likes of Cork and Galway are all physical challenges. 

“I am sure they will look at us and think they can get two points, so we have to respond to that challenge.”