Football

'Big relief' to finally get Ulster Championship green light says Armagh minor boss Ciaran McKeever

Ciaran McKeever's Armagh U17 side will face Derry in an Ulster Championship quarter-final on December 20. Picture by Philip Walsh
Ciaran McKeever's Armagh U17 side will face Derry in an Ulster Championship quarter-final on December 20. Picture by Philip Walsh Ciaran McKeever's Armagh U17 side will face Derry in an Ulster Championship quarter-final on December 20. Picture by Philip Walsh

AFTER so many setbacks and false dawns since the spring, Armagh minor boss Ciaran McKeever admits it was a “big relief” to finally get the green light for the resumption of the Ulster Championship later this month.

It is almost seven weeks since the plug was pulled three days before the quarter-finals were scheduled to take place, the preliminary round clash between neighbours Cavan and Monaghan the only Ulster U17 game to have been played thus far.

When the Irish government moved to level five restrictions in dealing with Covid-19 at the end of October, underage inter-county competitions were paused “until further notice”.

Counties were left in limbo until confirmation came earlier this week that those last eight fixtures, including Armagh’s date with Derry in Owenbeg, would go ahead on Sunday, December 20.

After so much uncertainty, McKeever was delighted to finally be in a position to relay some good news.

He said: “They’re at an age where they’re coming out of being teenagers and going into being young adults, so there’s a lot of stuff going on in their lives.

“It’s been pulled three times on them, and every time it was pulled you were getting closer to playing. The last time was on the Wednesday before the Championship match, so that’s probably going to have an effect on the boys, as well as the management team who have put a lot of effort into them and prepared them properly.

“Over this past couple of weeks we’ve been hearing whispers that the quarter-finals were going to be played on the 12th of December, you were relaying that back to the players, then they’re reading on social media about more lockdowns coming.

“They were constantly on the phone asking what’s happening and we’re just delighted to have got the green light. There’s a big relief among the players and they’re really looking forward to having the opportunity to pull on that Armagh jersey.”

Steven Poacher - who is part of James McCartan’s Down management team - previously outlined his concerns about the knock-on effect to young people’s physical and mental wellbeing after constant setbacks.

The objective of management throughout those lockdowns was to remain engaged with the players, and McKeever was fulsome in his praise for how his Armagh panel responded through trying times.

“Within our own group, we always had this wee motto that we’d stay ready, regardless of what happened,” said the Cullyhanna man, who is still in charge of Down club Mayobridge.

“At the end of the day those young lads were told to sit in the house, they weren’t allowed to socialise, to meet friends… midweek probably was the toughest time for them, coming into the dark evenings, leaving school and going home to sit in the house.

“We tried to engage with those boys as much as possible, hoping there would be a bit of light down the line. I have to say that throughout this whole pandemic, they’ve been excellent. They’ve conducted themselves really well in anything they were asked to do.

“We could see at training on Tuesday night they’ve all kept themselves in incredible shape, and they just want to get going. Our job at U17 level is to prepare our players for life at the top level, trying to instil good lifestyle habits, strength and conditioning habits, goal-setting habits, setting up leadership groups that will empower them to go on to the next level.

“They’ll leave us and some of them will get into the U20s, and hopefully in the next year or two break into the Armagh senior squad. That’s what our role is. If we win along the way, that’s an extra bonus.”