​Derry’s ‘Mr Consistency’ Paul Cassidy delighted to be back on the Championship trail

The modest Bellaghy player has been one of Rory Gallagher's unsung heroes, Derry's own Mr. Consistency, since making his senior county debut alongside Ethan Doherty in a 2-14 to 0-12 Division Three victory over Longford in Celtic Park. Despite marking his debut with a goal that cold October 2020 night, Cassidy's intercounty introduction was somewhat overshadowed by the return from Australia of a certain red haired Glen midfielder who was introduced as a surprise second half substitute.

Not that it bothered Cassidy who appears comfortable in an 'under the radar role' that may go unnoticed by some sections of the media but never by Rory Gallagher nor any of his Oak Leaf team-mates. On Saturday, Cassidy marked appearance No. 37 with 1-02 from play as Derry advanced to an Ulster semi-final against Monaghan but the Bellaghy man was keen to concentrate on team ethic rather than personal milestones.

"It's nice and it's good to keep the injuries away, to keep the game-time up is good," he smiled after the 3-17 to 2-08 win, "Every one does an equal amount of work. It's an attitude, you always have to give 100 per cent in order to keep those games coming.

"Training and matches, no matter what, it's about continually giving your all, even if you are playing bad. It's your attitude at the end of the day, no matter whether your are playing well or not, you have to go hard for the team and play for the team."

Alongside Glass and Doherty, Cassidy has been a mainstay as the Oak Leafers transformed themselves from Division Three challengers to Ulster champions and he was delighted to begin the defence of their provincial crown with victory in Brewster Park.

"We gave away two sloppy goals but we kept calm and found a way," he explained, "We found a way to attack straight from the kick out after their first goal and we got the penalty from that. That calmed us down a bit but we have to keep our heads in those situations.

"I was a bit lucky with my goal because I thought I had lost it a couple of times but I stuck to it and just got the boot at it at the last.

"Definitely not," he added when quizzed if he thought the new All Ireland format had taken some of the gloss of Ulster, "It ‘s good to get these games, get that championship feeling again. You need to get these type of games under your belt because it makes you a far better team in the long run."