THE introduction of Conor Glass to the Derry team has unlocked fantastic potential within the team that we should see develop over the next few years. That’s the opinion of a number of Derry coaches and former players.

Glass enjoyed his first full season of playing for Derry in 2021, having joined the team in 2020 in new manager Rory Gallagher’s first season in charge. While Glass has impressed some, but not others, his presence in the team has delivered a number of important developments.

Johnny McBride, the former Derry captain, watched Derry with interest this season and was impressed with what he saw. When asked about what he thought of Conor Glass’s influence he said: “I think Glass has made huge difference in terms of his professionalism.

“I could be wrong but I get the impression Glass might have lifted he whole group up in terms of his ambition for the future.

“It looks as if he’s right up there with top players in the country in filling the space. He makes an awful lot of contact in the tackle. I also saw him in a club game and he stands out a mile also comes across as a good lad.”

Glass plays his club football with Glen, Watty Graham’s where his club mate Emmett Bradley is also his midfield partner in Derry. Their partnership is one reason why Derry have such great potential.

“Bradley complements him in that he’s a bigger threat on the front foot and accurate but Glass can score also. Bradley is a more attacking player, while Glass covers defensively a lot because he’s so athletic and also can get forward on the odd burst.

“It will be good for them to play a good run of games together at county level in midfield so the partnership gets plenty of time together. There wasn’t an awful lot of games this year with league structure.”

Peter Doherty, from Bellaghy, is a well respected coach from Derry who has coached teams from across Ulster, and was also a former county player himself. He has been linked with the Derry job in the past as well.

He sees Glass’s introduction to the Derry team as complimenting the balance of the team.

“I think the word balance is bandied about a lot, but in this case I have to use it. This Derry team has a great balance certainly if you look at the spine of the team. Conor Glass has added a serious amount of athleticism to the team because he can get up and down the field. He is actually a better defensive midfielder at the minute than he is an attacking midfielder because of the amount of ground that he can cover.”

Because Glass can cover such a lot of ground, and he provides a great presence in the centre, he holds the key to making the rest of the team perform to their very best.

Doherty said: “It means that Emmett Bradley has less running to do. He becomes a better midfield as well because he can get the ball from Glass a lot. Cassidy is another option at wing half. But Gareth McKinless has become a totally different player than he was four years ago. He is stronger, he was fast before but now he is stronger with it and his influence must not be diminished.

“All of a sudden Chrissy McKaigue can play at full-back, and full-back can be a lot easier to play than centre half sometimes, the way Chrissy McKaigue plays it.

“So the subtle move of Glass moving in to support Bradley, McKinless moving in to centre half and that leaves McKaigue at full-back. What also develops is Ciaran McFaul playing at centre half-forward where he is better.

“That is where the balance comes from. Having said that, if any of them boys get injured then those lads can switch. McKinless can go to full-back, Chrissy McKaigue can go to centre half. Emmett Bradley can go to centre half-forward, McFaul can go to midfield. That is what you have with balance.

“It has taken time to develop but it is getting there.”

Conleith Gilligan told this publication earlier this year that he felt the strength of the Derry team was built around having midfielders playing in many different positions. That is, players who were midfielders with their club, were moved into non-midfield positions with the county team.

Peter Doherty, who led the Tyrone u-21s to an Ulster title in 2003, pointed out that such a development has happened before.

“When you look at the teams of 1970, 1975 and 1976 (Ulster title winning seasons), those were teams that were made up of midfielders. In the ‘70 team you had Larry Diamond, you had Tommy Diamond, Henry Diamond from Newbridge. You had Mickey Niblock and Hugh Niblock. Seamus Lagan as well. These men played midfield for their club. In ‘75 and ‘76 you had Peter Stevenson and Mickey Moran. They would have played midfield for their clubs.

“You would love to have midfielders on your team more than anything else. The can do the important things like catch run and tackle.”

However, while Conor Glass is a midfielder, the drawback that he has is that he has missed out on a lot of game time in Gaelic football. That was an issue that Doherty pointed out.

He said: “He is very raw. He has another year to give to get that Aussie Rules out of his system.”

That is a sentiment echoed by John Joe Kearney. Kearney is a former All-Ireland winning minor and u-21 with Derry. More recently he was joint coach of Ulster title winning Sleacht Néill side along with Mickey Moran.

Kearney said that he think Glass needs more time to develop.

“It has been hard to judge him. I have been up watching him at club football. He was just average. He has been away in Australia playing over there and you would expect him to be a lot better than he is. I have watched three club games and in those games he has caught one ball well in the air. That should have been his strong point considering the ability that he has.

“It will take him time to get back into the swing of things.”

That said. Kearney reckons that there is every reason for Derry people to be optimistic about the county’s potential.

“I think this year Derry had a big improvement. If they can keep the panel together and pick up a few more scoring forwards. Glass and Emmett Bradley had a fair spell at midfield.

“They have a few Sleacht Néill players in there which has helped them. They also have young McKinless who is playing very well.

“They could do with a few more scoring forwards though.”