By Niall Gartland

THE Derry minors know what it takes to win a provincial championship, but their manager Martin Boyle doesn’t believe past experience will count for much in tomorrow’s Ulster Championship showdown against Monaghan.

This particular Derry team came out on top of the U-15 and U-16 provincial competitions – the Brian McLernon and Buncrana Cup competitions respectively – but their manager says that alone won’t count for a single thing against the Farney County.

However, he does accept that they’re a tight-knit bunch who are on something of a journey together, and they’ll be quietly confident that they can derail Monaghan’s three in-a-row bid at U-17 level.

“I was involved at U-15 and U-16 level with those teams, and I don’t think it has any bearing at all when it comes to minor level. The intensity level in the championship is totally different.

“There is a benefit as the group has been together and got to know each other, but I’d tend to disregard it as a factor as the minor championship is a totally different level of intensity.”

Derry are traditionally one of the more competitive counties in the province at underage level, but Monaghan have mastered the field as far as the U-17 competition is concerned in the last few years. They’ve won the last two Ulster U-17 championships, but on the flipside they had a tough time getting over the challenge of Fermanagh in their semi-final clash last Saturday.

“Mark [Monaghan manager Mark Counihan) and ourselves were in touch quite a lot over lockdown where we clutched at straws for info about when it would be played or if the championship would be played.

“They’ve won the last two minor championships and have players going for the three in-a-row. You don’t win two in-a-row at this level if the county isn’t full committed. They’ve built up a fair bit of pedigree and it’s up to the rest of us to catch up.”

An image of Derry midfielder Dan Higgins went viral in the wake of their semi-final win over Tyrone last Saturday as social media users were seemingly astonished by his honed physique. Boyle says the man himself wouldn’t be fussed about the attention.

“Dan is an absolute gentleman. He’s a modest, civil lad, and anyone who knows him, knows that type of exposure wouldn’t sit well with him.

“He’s such a quiet lad and gets about his business. He’s very serious about his sport and wants to be the best he can be physically, tactically and mentally. He’s a big, tall lad and has got himself into good shape in fairness.”