Battle for places as vital as results: Clarke

By Barry O’Donnell

WITH two competitive fixtures, not to mention victories, under their belts, the McKenna Cup has already served a useful purpose for Tyrone however Wednesday night’s semi-final against Monaghan unfolded.

Like many counties, there is a game going on within a game right now in these January jousts, with all players, whatever their experience, keen to nail down a permanent spot in the panel when it is eventually scaled back for the impending National League campaign.

Defender Aidan Clarke acknowledged that while the taste of victory was sweet in the games with both Armagh and Down, it wasn’t the over-riding objective for Tyrone right now.

“Yes it’s good to win games in the McKenna Cup but the priority at this stage of the season is performances and the fight for places in the squad.

“It has been good to get out again, I’m sure all teams feel the same way. Both teams we’ve played have been well up for it.

“Any time you play Armagh or Down it is going to be an intense battle and we knew what it was going to take to get over the line. But whatever the results it’s just good to get back at it.”

Tyrone have had to dig deep to carve out positive results in each of their opening two competitive fixtures in 2026, overcoming adversity at different junctures. Clarke has been pleased with their response so far and the Omagh player feels that reaching the last four in the McKenna Cup can only bring them on even further.

“The attitude in the camp is good. Everybody has their heads down and are working hard. That has to be the mantra. It is a high speed game which has been brought about by the new rules so it’s all about building up your fitness and match sharpness now to get ready for the National League and I suppose an extra match or two in the McKenna Cup will help that.”

The early season aim for Tyrone is an immediate return to the top flight of league football but Clarke warns that achieving this objective will be far from easy.

“It is massive to get wins in the McKenna Cup under your belt as it gives you that launchpad going into the League and hopefully builds up that bit of momentum.

“Division Two this year won’t be easy for us as there is a lot of high-quality teams there. Obviously our aim is to build on performances and hopefully gain promotion.”

While there has been a touch of sparring going on in these early season matches, Tyrone should take confidence, especially from beating Armagh in their own backyard. Clarke though thinks this will have little bearing come their Championship clash later in the year.

“The Championship is far away, we are not thinking about that yet. It’s just about taking small steps at this early stage of the season, with the main focus right now on the league.

“I know from personal experience it is never easy getting a win at the Athletic Grounds and it was tight at the end but we squeezed home. It’s just about moving onto the next game and take as much learning as you can from these matches. Down also had a good season last year so we expected another tough battle, but again our concern has to be working on our own game and not worrying too much about the opposition right now.”