Derry will be hoping to close the door on Monaghan
Thursday, 17 July 2008
The Derry Senior Football side.
This is a route they have travelled with distinction since the inception of the second chance saloon for teams who do not win their provincial championships. In an attempt to streamline the qualifiers the GAA have put in the first and second round losers making a total of sixteen teams with the fourth division losers going into the Tommy Murphy Cup.
Derry got as tough a draw as they could have got but Monaghan probably feel the same only they have home advantage. Last year the Farney men lost narrowly to Tyrone in the Ulster final and went on to run eventual All Ireland champions Monaghan to a point.
Manager Seamus McEnaney set his fights in getting Monaghan into the First Division of the National football League but it proved costly.
They were cruising and looked nailed on for promotion with five straight wins but in the last two it all fell apart with an away loss to Cork and a home defeat to the eventual Division two champions Westmeath.
With an injury hit team they went into the Ulster championship away to neighbours Fermanagh and it was considered that they would waltz home but it all turned sour. Not only did they lose by 2-8 to 0-10 but arising from the game centre half Gary McQuaid and ace midfielder Paul Finlay their long distance free taker got suspended and will miss the clash with Derry.
Derry of course became the second team to fall to the Fermanagh giant killing machine and it is ironic that both these teams will meet and for some of them it will be a long summer.
It will be a big task for the Derry players to raise themselves for another challenge.
They had their sights firmly set on the Ulster championship but against total outsiders Fermanagh they struggled after building up a six point lead and it will take all their powers of recovery to get the show on the road again.
Manager Paddy Crozier has some hard calls to make. Some of the players looked well below par prior against Fermanagh and the players in some instances did not seem to know what their role was supposed to be.
Fermangh made the running on and off the field and if Derry are to make an impact this summer the well worn game plan which every opposing manager can read must be changed.
