It’s going to be a serious final: Derry manager Glackin

By Michael McMullan

DERRY minor manager Kieran Glackin said Friday’s Ulster final showdown with neighbours Tyrone is a “tricky challenge” his side are looking forward to.

The game will take place in Letterkenny’s O’Donnell Park which will pose a problem with players sitting exams earlier in the day.

In his second year as manager, Glackin points to the tradition of success Derry and Tyrone both possess at minor level.

He also admits to have saw some of Tyrone’s win over Cavan on the live stream ahead of their semi-final with Donegal later in the afternoon.

Report: McDonnell the Derry hero with winner to set up final meeting with Tyrone

“We saw bit of the Tyrone before we went out to start our warm-up,” Glackin said.

“It looked like Cavan were in a seriously comfortable position. The word came back of the margin being back to seven, back to six, back to four and that Tyrone had won.

“They were probably in a similar position to ourselves, sitting in the semi-final and got caught cold as well.

“Cavan are a good team but Tyrone is a serious team as well and it’s going to be a serious final.

“It’s a deadly competitive minor championship,” Glackin added. “Derry and Tyrone have a really good history in the competition and a really good history in underage over the past good few years.

“It’ll be a tricky, it’ll be a challenge, but a challenge we’ll be looking forward to.”

Derry’s only defeat of the season was at the hands of eventual league champions Monaghan, by a point in Corduff. The Oriel County then went on to beat Tyrone in the final.

Derry will play Tyrone in the Ulster minor final

With Tyrone coming back from 11 points down and Derry needing a late, late Cahir McDonnell winner to see off Donegal, both teams will arrive in Letterkenny well tested on Friday night.

“It’s a tricky week, we’ll have to get the bodies right,” Glackin said of the short turnaround since Saturday.

“There’ll be a few sore legs. Jarlath McCartney had an unbelievable game there, with winning breaking ball.

“He was carried off the pitch in the last minute or two of the game, so we’ll have to assess that, there’ll be a few other sore bodies.

“These boys are in the middle of the GCSEs and A-Levels,” Glackin added of the balance he needed to find this week.

“I was asking some of the boys, some of them have GCSEs and A-Levels on Friday evening.

“We don’t know how that’s going to work, but it’ll just be getting ourselves ready for Friday night.

“It’s about getting the bodies right, looking at Tyrone, looking at ourselves and seeing what we can gain, but we’ll be looking forward to it.”