DERRY minor manager Damian McErlain is refusing to let his mind stray from the matter at hand ahead of this Sunday's Ulster MFC first round clash with Tyrone.
Derry’s young guns have reached the All-Ireland series in each of their last two campaigns, both under McErlain, but they are a new-looking outfit compared to the side that lost an All-Ireland quarter-final to Kerry in 2016.
Of the squad that reached last year’s Ulster minor final, where they lost to Donegal by two points, only four remain on the panel for this year’s championship, including captain Pádraig McGrogan, Conor McCluskey and Simon McErlain.
“This is, more or less, a brand new team,” said manager McErlain on Tuesday evening.
“We’ve four starters from last year and that’s it. So Tyrone is the target and we have to forget about anything beyond that.
“We know how difficult Ulster is and, if you get ahead of yourself or you take your eye off the task at hand, then you can find yourself out on your ear and we don’t want to allow that to happen. The first weekend is so big that it tends to take on a life of its own anyway.”
McErlain is in his third year at the helm of the Oak Leafs – they captured the Ulster title in his first year in charge with a team that included the likes of Conor Glass before exiting at the All-Ireland semi-final stage to the Kingdom – and he is well aware of the unique complications that come with minor football at this time of year.
“Our preparations have been going well this week and we’re just at the stage where we’re trying to manage the training, along with the exam load of the players,” added the Magherafelt man, referring to the A Levels many of his players will be undertaking before they finish school for the summer.
“Our lads are playing a lot of football, they have the colleges’ competitions and the rest of it, which gives us only about six weeks to work with them ahead of the championship. Given that we’re trying to build a new team, it makes for a big job of work.”
With the Ulster Minor Championship being replaced completely by the U17 format from next year on, McErlain admits it would be nice to take the trophy this year, but insists Derry’s approach is “no different to any other year”.
“There probably is a bit of added incentive,” he said, “but you have to remember that Tyrone, Antrim, Monaghan, Cavan, Armagh and Down are all in it to win it as well.
“For the team that comes out the other side, it’ll probably be nice for them to have won the last tournament, but there’s six weeks of football to go yet.”
Derry have a number of injury concerns ahead of Sunday’s Celtic Park showdown, but McErlain is happy with the progress being made and the squad he has available.
“Eoin Quinn has a broken hand, which he sustained at the end of the [Ulster Minor] league, which will keep him out,” he said.
“Tiarnán McHugh is struggling, but he could still feature, and Lorcan McWilliams will probably be among the subs due to fitness levels, but I wouldn’t rule him out of a starting spot just at this stage.”
