By Michael McMullan

WHEN Benny Heron called time on his inter-county career two years ago, there was nobody better to ask for a line in tribute than Ciarán Meenagh.

They taught together in St Colm’s Draperstown. Meenagh coached and managed him with both Ballinascreen and Derry.

They’d chat football every day in the staffroom without ever crossing the line of discussing a team they both part of.

“Benny Heron, if he wanted, could have an amazing career in coaching, such is his understanding of the game of Gaelic football,” Ciarán Meenagh told Gaelic Life in a tribute piece to mark Heron stepping away after 108 appearances.

Fast forward 24 months and Heron is fielding questions in Armagh at the launch of the Dr McKenna Cup as Meenagh was putting the Derry squad through their paces ahead of the new season. Heron never expected to back in the Derry bubble so soon.

“I probably always had ambitions of getting back involved in coaching, but you maybe didn’t think you’d get an opportunity this quickly,” he told Gaelic Life.

“It’s worked out brilliantly and whenever the opportunity came up, I just couldn’t turn it down.

“To get the chance to be involved working with Ciarán and the lads in the management team, but also to get working with this group of players again, it was just a brilliant opportunity and I relished it.”

The biggest quality you could have paid Benny Heron as a footballer was how much Derry missed when he wasn’t involved, often the glue to pull all their pieces together.

There was vision and workrate and game intelligence. There was an eye for goal throw in there as well.

Heron is joined in the management team by Chrissy McKaigue with both men having soldiered together in all four divisions of the NFL as Derry fluctuated over the last decade.

“Chrissy is one up on me, he’s got all the medals whereas I was beaten in a Division One final, but I’ll let him have that one,” he said with a joke.

Sad news to hear of @bennyheron11 calling it a day but he owes nothing

108 appearances
McKenna Cup: 16 2014 v Monaghan
NFL: 64 debut 2013 Laois
SFC: 28 – debut 2013 Down

Thankfully his service was rewarded with B2B Ulster silver #GAA pic.twitter.com/a3shEA3xFU

— Michael McMullan (@malmcmullan) November 2, 2023

Meenagh has surrounded himself with men he can trust. Heron and McKaigue were part of the group he coached and managed under the Rory Gallagher era when the Oakleafers won back-to-back Ulster titles.

McKaigue also had a stint coaching with Loughmacrory. The Tyrone champions’ winning manager Martin Boyle, a former Derry minor and u-20 manager, is also part of Meenagh’s Derry ticket.

Darren McShane, who was part of those setups under Boyle, part of the Dungiven management team and a constant watcher of Derry club football, also comes in.

Former Loughmacrory manager, Martin McConnell, will be assisting Sean McPeake and Hugh McGrath with logistics.

There was a major coup in acquiring the highly rated Luke Barrett who stepped away from the Donegal senior setup after two seasons under Jim McGuinness.

Barrett was also part of the Loughmacrory management, bringing both his games based coaching model and performance analysis to the table.

Goalkeeper coach Thomas Mallon and conditioning coach Aaron Bradley, a former Derry minor player, were in Down with Meenagh and Conor Laverty.

After also being involved in Loughmacrory, they have joined the Derry management team, with Pearse Keenan assisting with the conditioning.

Ben McGuckin remains as performance analyst. Former Ulster rugby physio Peter Scullion is on board, former Derry player Brian Óg McAlary is the new team doctor with Piaras McShane in as nutritionist, having previously worked with the Belfast Giants.

It’s an extensive group Meenagh has largely worked with in the past and he brings that familiarity of having coached and managed the Oakleafers since Damian McErlain brought him on board in 2019.

“He mightn’t say that, but he’s definitely a half Derry man, at least now,” Heron said with a laugh.

“Me and Ciarán have got a great relationship over the years, he’s a managed Ballinascreen. I’ve worked with him for many, many years and obviously he’s coached me whenever I was playing for Derry.

“He also knows that there’s a massive level of trust and loyalty there to him as well.

“I’ll do everything I can to help the management team in whatever way I can. I think he knows that, that my best interest is for the team and doing whatever I can to help make Derry successful again.

“I’m just happy to be involved at this level again, I’m very eager to learn from Ciarán and the rest of the management team and then provide any opportunity I can.”