Football

Dublin clash looms but Niall Sludden focused on Tyrone's search for six McKenna Cup titles

Niall Sludden helped Tyrone to a comfortable win over neighbours Fermanagh on Sunday. Picture by Philip Walsh
Niall Sludden helped Tyrone to a comfortable win over neighbours Fermanagh on Sunday. Picture by Philip Walsh Niall Sludden helped Tyrone to a comfortable win over neighbours Fermanagh on Sunday. Picture by Philip Walsh

THE prospect of facing Dublin under the bright lights at Croke Park may be looming large but first Tyrone must first take care of some other Saturday night business this weekend, according to Niall Sludden.

Sunday’s three point victory over Fermanagh secured the Red Hands’ place in an eight successive Dr McKenna Cup final as Mickey Harte’s men go for six titles in-a-row.

As was the case at this time last year, Derry stand in their way at Newry’s Pairc Esler on Saturday night before attention turns to Tyrone’s top flight return.

Having lost their first game of the year against Cavan and faced an uphill battle to progress, Sludden insists the Red Hands are delighted to have got plenty of minutes under their belt before the Division One opener against Roscommon on February 4.

“Yeah definitely, that’s what it’s all about,” said the Dromore man.

“We’d rather be playing games than training anyway. I suppose at the start of the year, losing the first game, it didn’t look like that but we’re very happy to be in the final and set up for another big test.

“You could have looked at it as very much doom and gloom but we just got the head down and a number of boys have come in there, stepped up to the plate, especially the new boys who have come in and integrated well.

“Once we got the second win on the board we knew it was always possible to get into the semi-final again.”

Last year’s decider was a feisty affair, with Tyrone pair Cathal McCarron and Ronan McNamee sent off late on along with Derry's Daniel McKinless.

Derry’s Brendan Rogers was forced off the field after just a minute following a collision with Tiernan Bradley, while Oak Leaf boss Damian Barton finished the game in the stands.

There is no love lost between the cross-Sperrin rivals, and Sludden believes Tyrone’s search for six gives them extra motivation heading into the game.

“It definitely does,” he continued.

“We’re always going out to win our next game, it’s nice setting records as well. It’s going to be a good challenge and we’re going to need a better performance than that. We started well there today and pushed on in the second half, but we just tailed away there really.

“There’s a lot of learning to be done but that’s good too. We still got the win and that’s the main thing.”

Mickey Harte has spoken in the past about his regret that the Red Hands didn’t get a crack at Dublin last year, with many observers suggesting his side was best equipped to challenge Jim Gavin’s back-to-back All-Ireland champions.

Harte’s wish will come true at Croke Park on February 11, the second game of the league campaign, but Sludden says taking on the Dubs isn’t something that has entered the players’ thoughts.

“Our focus isn’t on Dublin at the minute, we only really focus on ourselves.

“The first game is against Roscommon at home and we’ll concentrate on that because you have to take every game as it comes in Division One.

“We weren’t there last year so we’ll focus on that and take it from there but we’re going to be looking forward to those bigger challenges too. First game first, that’s the main thing.

“You have to get the points on the board early on and all these performances in the McKenna Cup are building towards that first game. It’s very important because if you don’t get those first couple of wins you’re really under pressure.”