LONGFORD V DERRY

Saturday, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 5pm

Derry need a good start this weekend if they have any hopes of getting promotion. In previous years, when the leagues had seven rounds, there has been room for manoeuvre, and defeat in the first round hasn’t always been a disaster.

However, for Derry it has been a problem. Last year, they began their league campaign against Leitrim, and despite being clear favourites they ended up battling for a draw. That was followed by defeat to Down and from there their hopes of promotion was gone.

The issue is more acute this season. With three games to play, against Longford, Fermanagh and Cavan, any loss will be crucial. For Derry, who dropped from Division One to Division Four in five seasons, getting back up to the top tier is imperative.

History shows that Derry tend to have tricky starts.

In 2017, they hosted Clare at Celtic Park, and the game ended in a draw, 0-11 to 1-8. They followed that with defeat to Meath, and a win against Kildare lifted spirits, but they would go on to lose three more games which was enough to relegate them down to Division Three.

In 2018 they lost their opener to Westmeath by three points, 2-17 to 2-14. They followed that up with defeat to Longford, 1-13 to 1-6. And while they won their third game against Offaly, they couldn’t beat the drop and were relegated to Division Four.

In 2019, when they were in division four, they only had a point to spare in their opening round win over Antrim. That was a game that the Saffrons felt they should have won.

Then last year they had that draw against Leitrim in round one which set the tone for the rest of the year.

The story from the Derry players is that they are happy with how Rory Gallagher has been coaching them. They like his attention to detail, and his professional approach. Players like Ciaran McFaul told Gaelic Life that Gallagher was challenging the players to be better.

This weekend we will see if Gallagher can change Derry’s dismal record of mediocre starts to the league.

Verdict: Derry