MARK Bradley wasn’t counting, and by the time he reached 1-8, there were more important numbers on his mind than his own personal contribution.
The Healy Park scoreboard wasn’t working, and the confusion was palpable as Carrickmore chipped away at Killyclogher’s lead in the closing stages of a tense LCC Group Tyrone SFC tie.
The fabled survivors were setting themselves up for another great escape, and as the tension mounted, so too did the uncertainty over the diminishing margin.
“I was just trying to look at the scoreboard, which wasn’t working,” he said.
“That was the only thing that concerned me, and when there’s no scoreboard, it’s quite anxious, because you don’t know where you stand.
“The referees and the umpires are very good. If you ask them, they’ll keep you updated, so that was the only way you had.
“You have a rough idea what way the momentum is going, but when the momentum does swing and the opposing team have their purple patch, you don’t know where you stand, because if they get one or two scores, you start panicking a wee bit then.”
In the end, Killyclogher held on for a three-point win and a quarter-final crack at champions Trillick.
Bradley’s brilliant display of finishing may have caught the eye, but he was quick to acknowledge the contribution of those who carved out those scoring opportunities.
“You just have to put the ball over the bar when the chances come.
“The supply was fantastic. Just because men aren’t putting the scores on the scoreboard doesn’t mean they’re not contributing, and I thought our boys were super.
“It’s a lot of the work you don’t see. Everyone sees the end result, but you don’t see the work up to that point.”
Just a few weeks into a makeshift season, players continue to work their way towards peak fitness, and with temperatures soaring, men on both sides were clearly feeling the heat.
“We haven’t been used to that, and just to get up and run, it takes a while to get acclimatised to that,” said Bradley.
“It was very, very tough, especially your first outing of the year.
“You can play all the league games, but nothing really compares to Championship, especially the first round – getting up to that Championship intensity.”
The respite provided by the water breaks was welcome, and pauses midway through each half also helped the St Mary’s re-set at difficult stages of the contest.
“It was perfect when it’s 24-odd degrees. Boys are struggling, they’re looking towards the water break to get a slug of water.
“I think we might have been under a wee bit of pressure coming up to the two water breaks, so we were glad to see them.”
It was an important evening for a clutch of youngsters in the St Mary’s side, with four Championship debutants getting their first taste of O’Neill Cup action.
“Especially for their first year in senior, it’s a big, big step up. I remember myself coming into the senior team, and just the physicality alone.
“But those boys seem to thrive on that, and they have plenty of aggression, so it’s good to see that they’re fitting in really nicely.”
He added: “Winning games and momentum is key, and for us, it was just getting over the first round, regroup and focus on the next game.”
