Football

Tyrone squad hungry for success: Aidan McCrory

Aidan McCrory believes the young players have brought more hunger to the squad
Aidan McCrory believes the young players have brought more hunger to the squad Aidan McCrory believes the young players have brought more hunger to the squad

Last year’s Ulster title was only the beginning of what Aidan McCrory wants to achieve.

He has played alongside many Tyrone legends who have won every honour in the game, but aside from a handful of McKenna Cup medals, the 2016 Anglo-Celt remains his sole success in six seasons.

The Errigal Ciaran man looks back with envy on the golden generation which brought the Sam Maguire Cup to the rolling hills of Tyrone three times during the glorious noughties.

Almost a decade on from the last All-Ireland triumph, the Red Hands are ready to embark on another attempt to claim the ultimate prize.

“There was a generation there that won a lot, but there were generations before that that didn’t win as much,” he said.

“We’ll always target matching the boys that have won the most, matching the best.

But you can’t win all the time. There’s 32 counties in Ireland, not every team can win and you’re always going to have your ups and downs.

“There’s plenty of good footballers out there that have won very little or nothing.

“We’re here to be the best that we can be. You’d like to say that you have improved while you’re here, and when you’ve finished playing that you have given a good account of yourself, and that you leave no regrets in terms of how you behaved and how you played.

“What you win outside of that, you don’t have total control over it. It’s a team game, and all we can do is try and get the best of ourselves.”

Since making his debut in 2011, McCrory has been acknowledged as one of the game’s most reliable defenders.

Now one of the team’s most experienced members, he has witnessed the departure of a host of famous names, but can’t find fault with the hunger and the potential of those who have replaced them.

“There’s been a lot of changes in the time I have been here. We’re a younger squad now.

“We haven’t won an awful lot, we’re all hungry to improve and play more football, and play at the top level as much as we can.”

On Sunday, Tyrone return to the scene of last season’s resounding Ulster SFC first round win over Derry, and will travel as firm favourites to triumph at Celtic Park once again.

The Oak Leafers have suffered successive league relegations, but McCrory expects a proud and defiant resistance from Damien Barton’s side.

“Derry were missing a lot of players during the league, and they’re going to be stronger in the Championship than they were in the league.

“We had a lot of our boys out in the league, so we were probably as strong as we’re going to be.

The clash with Derry will be Tyrone’s first game in eight weeks, but the players have been maintaining match sharpness by playing with their clubs on six successive weekends.

With that competitive schedule comes the risk of injury, but McCrory, with a dislocated finger to show for his commitment to the club, believes it’s the right approach.

“Boys want to be playing club football, especially here in Tyrone. We want to do that, and I’d say the Derry boys are the same, they want to be playing club football. It’s a big part of our lives.

“There’s that gap there and you don’t want to be sitting about doing nothing for a number of weeks, so we’re all happy to be playing football.

Rumours of disharmony within the Tyrone camp have been presented as an unwelcome distraction from championship preparations, but McCrory insisted all is well and the squad is fully united.

“I don’t know where that’s coming from. There’s nothing I have seen at training or heard that would make me think that boys aren’t happy or things are going poorly. We‘re happy with how we’re getting on

“A lot of things we read in the paper, despite being at training, we’ve never seen them.