Ardboe midfielder Michael O’Neill says a resurgent team won’t be burdened by the weight of history as they strike out for a first Tyrone SFC title in 20 years.
A dramatic and emotion-charged victory over Trillick sent the Rossas through to a semi-final meeting with Killyclogher.
A club with a proud championship tradition has won the title seven times, but O’Neill insists the current group of players are determined to write their own history.
“It’s been 20 years. It’s great to have our history, and we are proud of our history, but getting too caught up in it gives us added pressure,” he said.
“So we’re just going to try and write our own history at this stage, and take it game by game.”
An injection of talented youngsters has given the team freshness and zest this season. Six debutants got their first taste of the cut and thrust of Tyrone Senior Championship football in the first round win over Clonoe, and they gained further valuable experience as the lough shore men edged out Trillick in a Plunkett Park thriller on Saturday evening.
“We went through a real bad spell as a club over the past six, seven years, and we were really hoping for young men to come through.
“And that they have done, the likes of Jordan Bell and young Gary Donnelly. Them boys are spurring us on, they’re the energy we need.”
O’Neill is one of the side’s most gifted footballers, but he has many sides to his game, and he was handed the task of shadowing Tyrone captain Mattie Donnelly as Ardboe took on a fancied Trillick side.
“He’s a very influential player for club and county, and he’s such a powerful driving force. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do, you just have to maintain him.
“I’ll tell you what, it’s definitely not an easy job, he’s a great player
“I had the same job in the league, and you have to just take every job you’re handed. You get up, you go on with it and you do your best. That’s’ all you can do.”
He had to sacrifice his own game in sticking tight to former All-Star Donnelly, but still managed to fire over a brilliant point, and it was the rebound from his shot off a post that gave Shay McGuigan the opportunity to grab the winner deep into stoppage time.
“I’ll get my time to play, I’ll get my time to play football. When it comes down to such a key player like that, I have no problem forgetting about the game, and worrying about a player.”
Ardboe trailed by four points at half-time, but there were no concerns, as the strong breeze gusting along Plunkett Park would be in their favour in the second half.
“We were going in as heavy underdogs, and we knew that. And with a hurricane of a breeze there, we knew we had a big second ahead of us. But luckily enough, we pulled it out.
“Four points was nothing. It was nearly as good as a nil-nil, because you’re going out with that hurricane breeze in your back in the second half.
“Even with that wind, it was still difficult to get over the line against that Trillick team, but thank God we did.”
