Hetherington content with quick turnaround

By Michael McMullan

NEWBRIDGE joint-manager Gary Hetherington is content with the week-on-week nature of the Derry Senior Championship’s business end.

After going through the front door, the champions face Glen in Sunday’s semi-final, having saw off Bellaghy last weekend.

This week is about taking stock of the bumps and bruises as they aim for the next step of their title defence.

“I think [the schedule] it is a good thing,” said Hetherington, who manages the side alongside Kevin Brady. “We talked about last year, from the semi-final to the final was only a week. We thought it was a great thing, obviously the result clarified that for us.

“We’ll get people patched up again this week, we’ll be doing very little training, we’ll take a look at Glen and see what’s what.

“They (Glen) got the job done convincingly in the end (against Kilrea in the quarter-final) and we’re well aware of what’s coming down the track.

“I’ve noticed they’ve been a different animal this year compared to maybe last year when injuries affected them.”

Looking back on their own path to the last four, Newbridge needed a Sean Young goal to pull them from the fringes of defeat.

“When we were two points down, we won two massive breaking balls,” Hetherington added on their comeback.

“We have that knack of winning and winning is a great habit. These guys have been on the crest of the wave, getting results.”

Newbridge did lose the first game in the championship last year before turning the tables to retain their title and come within a whisker of an Ulster final spot.

“We have characters in the dressing room, the county men and the younger boys. With pace we have, we’ve always a chance.”

Central to their win was Eamon Young who excelled from wing back despite wearing the number 11 jersey. He is one of the players to break in since the 2024 county title, having been part of All-Ireland winning Derry minor teams.

“He’s playing a slightly different role for us this year,” Hetherington said. “He’s thriving in it, he’s fit, he’s in better shape. A year up with the Derry seniors has helped him massively, so we’re really happy with where he’s going.”

Newbridge have had to plan without Mark McGrogan who will be sidelined for a year after an ACL injury.

“We’ve got Sean (Young) and Callum (McGrogan) back on board. The win over Bellaghy was their first Championship game, so we’ll patch up the bodies and go again next week.”