Laverty taking positives from McKenna Cup campaign

By Shaun Casey

DOWN’S McKenna Cup campaign may have come to an end in Pomeroy on Sunday afternoon, but manager Conor Laverty was happy with the shift his lads put in.

Across their two outings against Armagh and Tyrone in the preseason competition, Laverty got a look at 30 different players ahead of their upcoming Division Three league campaign, which kicks off with a home tie against Clare at the end of the month.

“I thought it was a very competitive game, it is good to playing football at this time of the year and it is great to give the opportunity to see new faces,” the Kilcoo man said after their 0-18 to 1-11 defeat to the Red Hand County.

“Some of the new lads that came onto the panel, it is good to give them the experience of playing the quality of Tyrone and it so good to get game-time into some of the older players and we have injured boys still to come back in.”

Burren clubmen Odhran Murdock and Liam Kerr along with Hugh Pat McGeary and Barry O’Hagan didn’t see any game time in the McKenna Cup but Laverty is hoping to have a “full hand” come the league.

“Pearse McPolin who featured in both games, I am happy because he was in the panel during our first year and then went back to the club for a bit of development and I think he has really stepped up to the mark and we would be really happy with him.

“It was good to give Donal Scullion and Jamie Doran some game-time (against Tyrone) and I think they are exciting young prospects.

“We still have some of the Kilcoo boys to come back as well, we are looking forward to having our full hand available. We have brilliant medical team and they are working through our injuries and niggles and bits and pieces.”