Derry manager calling for another dose of character and honesty

By Michael McMullan

DERRY manager Johnny McGarvey wants his side to show character and honesty when they put their Christy Ring Cup chances on the line on Saturday.

After last weekend’s dramatic draw in Trim, the Oakleafers must beat Kerry at Find Insurance Celtic Park to ensure another meeting with the Kingdom, who are already in the final.

Derry came from seven points down last weekend against Meath and almost snatched victory with a late goal only for Tom Shine to level matters.

“There’s nothing else that we can do, once it happened, and he put the ball over the bar, all roads lead to Celtic Park,” McGarvey said after the game.

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Kerry have already booked their place in the final but the Derry boss wasn’t getting drawn into a conversation about what side he’d face this weekend.

“They’ll come in well-prepared for the final, I wouldn’t imagine they’d want three weeks off to prepare for the final,” he added.

“They put 26 points on us in the first league match, they’re a quality side and they’re fully deserving of being in the final.

“I don’t really have any care for what they bring or how they prepare for the match.

“We will prepare well for the match. We have character and we have honesty and we’ll bring that with us next week.”

The grit he is referring to is the spirit they showed when Meath looked odds on to win the game.

“We got out of jail, there’s absolutely no doubt about it,” he said of Saturday’s draw.

“If you go to the last game, it’s in your hands, you can’t ask for anything else in a group like this.

“We want to win the Christy Ring, if you want to win the Christy ring you have to beat Kerry. Not a lot changes in that regard.”