Ulster Minor Football Championship preliminary round: Derry v Monaghan (tonight, 6pm, Celtic Park)
FRESH from their Jim McGuigan Cup success last weekend, Monaghan look to send holders Derry tumbling out of the Ulster Championship when they travel to Celtic Park for this evening’s preliminary round clash.
The Farney U17s, managed by former senior boss Seamus McEnaney, were 12 point winners over Donegal in Drumragh last Saturday, with Monaghan’s only defeat of the spring coming against Down in their final group game.
Derry, meanwhile, with several of their players unavailable due to schools’ competition commitments, finished third in their section of the Ulster U17 League after a win, a draw and two defeats.
Former Donegal full-back Paddy Campbell is in his first year over the Oak Leafs and the Glenties native - well versed in Derry football having managed Steelstown, Castledawson and Slaughtmanus - will be eyeing a spot in the quarter-final against Cavan next Saturday.
The form may be with the Farneymen but the recent pedigree, with two of the last three provincial titles, belongs to the Oak Leafs – something McEnaney is well aware of.
“Derry epitomises everything that is good about underage structures in Ulster,” he said.
“I’ve seen Derry play twice this year, they’re an exceptionally good team with one of the best forwards in any team in Ulster in Enda Downey - he’s one of the best I’ve seen in the country.
“Different counties were missing schools players through the league, but all those are back. The Monaghan schools were all out early so that left us with a pretty full hand all the time.
“It’s going to be a tough, hard battle. I’m travelling to Celtic Park a long time now, with U21 teams back in the early 2000s, seniors teams in the mid-Noughties and I’ve never seen anything simple in it.
“If we scrape across by the minimum margin I’d be absolutely delighted.”
Considering their relatively small numbers, the success enjoyed by Monaghan at senior level over the past decade and beyond has been nothing short of extraordinary.
And McEnaney is quick to pay tribute to the work of games development manager Paul O’Connor for helping continue the conveyor belt of talent coming through the ranks.
“Paul O’Connor is the jewel in the crown for Monaghan,” continued the Corduff man. “I’m confident for the future of Monaghan football in the hands of Paul O’Connor and the academies he’s running and his staff around him. It’s in very safe hands.
“From my own point of view, the set-up in Cloghan is top class and I wanted to test myself. There’s a new generation coming through and you want to see can you relate to them, can you improve them or take the best out of them.
“I’m really enjoying it, I’d like to think the lads are enjoying it, I’d like to think they’re improving as we’re going along.
“Eighty per cent of my team is only 16 at the moment, so it’s very hard to know how many of these lads will make the breakthrough.
“But the one thing I would say is they have character, they have attitude and they have spirit, and when you’ve those three things then – no matter what you’re at in life – you’re on the right road.”
