Football

Tyrone's Harte and Sludden positive about Stephen O'Neill's impact

Stephen O'Neill (second from left) watches Tyrone against St Mary's alongside manager Mickey Harte and assistant boss Gavin Devlin. Pic Seamus Loughran
Stephen O'Neill (second from left) watches Tyrone against St Mary's alongside manager Mickey Harte and assistant boss Gavin Devlin. Pic Seamus Loughran Stephen O'Neill (second from left) watches Tyrone against St Mary's alongside manager Mickey Harte and assistant boss Gavin Devlin. Pic Seamus Loughran

THE effects may appear mixed so far but Tyrone are confident that shooting star Stephen O’Neill will have a positive influence on the county going forward.

The Red Hands reeled off 4-20 in their McKenna Cup opener against Antrim last Wednesday, but then struggled more for scores against St Mary’s on Sunday, eventually ending up with 1-16, albeit with a more experimental line-out.

However, manager Mickey Harte and player Niall Sludden are convinced of the benefits that the 2005 Footballer of the Year will bring after joining the backroom team late last year.

Harte commented: “Sure Stevie is no stranger to Tyrone football for many, many years and I’ve worked with him since he was 17. We all know him well, Gavin [Devlin] knows him well.

“He brings something different to us and it’s good to have him. It’s another pair of very seasoned eyes, if you like, on all that is going on.”

“We would know that he’s an instinctive forward and can do things that very few others can do, so if he can coach a little bit of that into some of our forwards then that will be helpful.

“Other players can get insights as to why he was as effective as he was as a player on the field.

“He can coach them about ways of doing things that they mightn’t have thought about before –and it’s coming from somebody who has been there and done it, so they will listen to him fairly well.”

The 25-year-old Sludden spelled out the respect within the panel for three-time Allstar O’Neill.

“As a young player, you always looked up to Stevie… A player of that calibre, we know what he offered when he played, we’re really excited.

“It’s definitely not going to happen straightaway, that just doesn’t happen overnight, but I’ve really enjoyed having him in.

“In terms of analysis and different aspects of the games, you just know that he has been watching the game a lot since he has been out, he’s been studying it. It’s great to have a fella like that.”

Sludden also pointed out that O’Neill isn’t just a ‘forwards coach’, perhaps better billed as an ‘attacking advisor’:

“Since he has come in, especially as a forward myself – although sometimes I’m a back,” Sludden said with a slight laugh, “I have seen a big impact…

“He’s very vocal, and he’s very helpful around both forwards and defenders, trying to bring our game to a new level, I suppose.”

Harte confirmed that the Clan na Gael clubman’s involvement wasn’t just limited to working with forwards:

“No, that’s it, the days of backs, forwards, and all that are gone, we know that. The days of positions in the sense of what’s written on a match programme are gone.

“It’s about football, every player needs to be able to think like that, think like and attacker and work like a defender, that’s the way the game is going.”

Sludden came off the bench to help push Tyrone past a stubborn St Mary’s side in Coalisland on Sunday and had praise for the challenge their student opponents posed:

“When they get out in front, they’re very good, they sit back, they know their role as a team and you have to give credit to their management as well.

“We did find it difficult to break them down. We got the goal and were hoping we were going to push on, but we gave away a wee sloppy one ourselves.

“But that’s football, we have plenty to work on. I suppose for us, it’s better getting a game like that, rather than hammering a team.”

O’Neill certainly wasn’t to blame for the opportunities Tyrone spurned, Sludden said, but rather the time of year: “We missed a few chances, first half, second half as well.

“We’ve just got to remember it’s only January at the minute, boys are obviously going to be a wee bit rusty, especially with the shooting boots”.