Derry minor manager Damien McErlain "relieved" to secure 8th Ulster final in 10 years!
McErlain's young Oak Leafers went into Saturday's semi-final as favourites to progress but were second best for much of an opening half which finished level at 1-02 to 0-5. It was anybody's game at that stage but 1-02 inside three minutes at the start of the second half - including 1-1 from the impressive Caoimhin Hargan - turned the game and with Eamon Young in superb form, Derry eventually eased home with seven points to spare at 2-14 to 1-10.
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Hide Ad“It’s a relief," admitted the Derry boss afterwards, "Semi-finals are tough places. Anything can happen. It was a tough game, particularly in the first half when we were against the breeze. We regrouped at half-time and we’re just pleased to get over the line. That’s eight out of the last 10 finals we’ve made and it’s good that Derry clubs are still producing quality players.“This is the date we targeted from day one. It gives you a platform in that you get two bites of the cherry. We have an Ulster Final next week, and no matter how that goes we get another go at it (in the All Ireland series). We have a quick turnaround now but we’re looking forward to it."
The Derry manager said Dylan Rocks’ slightly fortuitous opening goal had given Derry the first half foothold his team needed and stressed the leadership of a panel which includes 10 players from last season's All Ireland winning squad.
"We missed two or three chances before we got the goal and it gave us a footing into the game," explained McErlain, "I thought we were nervous in the first half and carried the ball into the tackle. We sorted that out in the second half, started to move the ball that wee bit quicker and started to turn the screw.
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Hide Ad“We felt Tyrone were working that bit harder. We were having to look really hard for options. We wanted more energy. We wanted the boys to show that they had the desire to make an Ulster Final too.
“We have leaders all over the pitch there. Caoimhin Hargan is new to minors this year and he hit 1-1 in the first two minutes of the second half. That showed real leadership and execution when the moment was needed. There’s no arguing that (players from last season's squad) gives you a real footing at the start of the year. They know the culture, they know what it takes. It probably brings maturity to the whole group too. There’s 10 players there that have two years’ work under the belt and you can see how physically they are now compared to last year."
Now standing between Derry and the successful defence of their Ulster title is an Armagh side the Oak Leafers defeated by 19 points in Owenbeg as recently as May 4th. However since that result the Orchard County have defeated both Monghan and Donegal and McErlain is expecting a different Armagh in Healy Park this Sunday.
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Hide Ad“Armagh are a very strong side. We’ve watched them through the year. They’re big, well organised and physical; good in around the middle third at winning ball. They came here and the result didn’t go the way anybody expected but it will be a totally different game next week. Armagh will have had a look at us, they’ll have a plan for us and it’s going to be a titanic battle. You don’t just get Ulster titles handed to you.
"Armagh will take great encouragement from winning the two games back to back over Monaghan and Donegal. I mean, going to Ballyshannon and winning is never an easy task. Armagh have definitely got it together, I’ll put it that way.
“But the Ulster Final is the only thing in our heads at the minute and we’re mad keen to win it. Minor as in senior – Ulster titles mean a lot.”