Football

Eunan McElhennon says Derry have learnt their lesson in Ulster

Eunan McElhennon (left) is determined the Derry minors will make no mistake against Monaghan on Friday night
Eunan McElhennon (left) is determined the Derry minors will make no mistake against Monaghan on Friday night Eunan McElhennon (left) is determined the Derry minors will make no mistake against Monaghan on Friday night

DERRY minor star Eunan McElhennon has insisted the young Oaks won’t make the mistake of being complacent again ahead of tomorrow night’s Electric Ireland Ulster Minor Football Championship final.

Defending champions Derry will line-out against Monaghan in the Athletic Grounds tomorrow evening, but they do so after already suffering a defeat earlier in the provincial campaign, away to Cavan, which followed a hard-fought opening day victory over the Farney county.

The Derry minors were forced to get their title defence back on track with a qualifier win over Antrim after their surprise loss to the Breffni boys, and McElhennnon is adamant they have learnt their lesson.

“Beating Monaghan in the preliminarily round after extra-time put us on a real high but, seven days later, we made the trip to Cavan and, to be beaten by one point after double extra-time was a real blow,” he said.

“This was a wake-up call for the whole team because, in a way, we looked past Cavan. We thought that, because we beat Monaghan, who were the favourites for the whole championship, we would breeze past Cavan, but this wasn’t the case and, at the end of the day, they deserved to win.

“Since that defeat, we’ve grounded ourselves and learned to take each game as it comes. We’ve certainly shown that we aren’t easily beaten and we won’t go down without a major fight.”

Derry have beaten the Saffrons, Fermanagh and Tyrone since that round one defeat to Cavan and McElhennon, who is among those who have impressed during this campaign, insists the panel aren’t daunted by the success of recent years.

“Winning the Ulster Minor Championship last year has made us a lot hungrier for success this year,” he added.

“At the start of the year, many inside and outside the county doubted us and thought we wouldn’t reach the standard that was set by the last three minor teams, but I think we’ve definitely proved ourselves.

“The potential for us to reach the level the minors got to last year is there, but we’ve got a job to do on Friday night and we won’t look past a quality Monaghan side.”

The Derry men have put in the hard yards since their preliminary round with Monaghan on April 21 and McElhennon is determined to make the work worth it.

“The commitment that has to be shown by all players, training three times a week for the past seven or eight months hasn’t been easy, especially with a few being involved in school football up until March and most players sitting exams in May and June,” he said.