Fintona’s Colton hoping to do club proud on All-Ireland stage

By Alan Rodgers

STAR performances throughout this year for the Tyrone have highlighted how the sterling work being done by the Fintona club is beginning to reap dividends for the Pearses at inter-county level.

Caolan Donnelly contributed richly to the All-Ireland glory enjoyed by the Red Hand u-20s and now, just a few weeks later, vice-captain Peter Colton is all set to spearhead the Tyrone minor attack in this Sunday’s Tom Markham Cup showdown against Kerry at Newbridge.

The presence of a number of players from Fintona on the panel emphasises the progress which has been made by the Pearses in recent years.

Action at Grade One of the domestic underage scene has become the norm for teams from the club, and their seniors are gradually becoming more established in Division Two of the All-County League.

It all adds up to the prospect of more good times ahead. But first, Colton will be aiming to bring more honour to his club this Sunday.

If that’s how things turn out against the Kingdom, then it will see him become the latest in a growing list of Pearses players to have won All-Irelands at county level.

This is obviously a brilliant time for these talented teenagers. With the pressure of GCSE, AS Level and A-level exams now over and the summer holidays lying in front of them, what better way to spend the first weekend of July than playing and perhaps winning the All-Ireland Minor title?

“The All-Ireland final is where you want to be now,” said Colton.

“This is the dream for me and the rest of the players and it’s what we’ve been aiming towards since the start of this year. Even when I was a young boy, playing in an All-Ireland final is something I’ve dreamt about.

“A few from the club have played with and won All-Irelands with Tyrone in the past few years. We looked up to those players, we want to be like them and it’s about working to achieve that.

“Caolan Donnelly won the All-Ireland with the u-20s a few weeks ago. They’re an inspiration for us on the minor panel. I’ve got him to look up to in Fintona and every player on this panel has somebody to inspire them. What they have achieved is something that we want to emulate.

“We are looking up to the u-20s and want to do what they have done.”

Colton has consistently made a strong mark in the Tyrone attack. His ability to register important scores at crucial times, combined with his play-making abilities in the heart of the forward line, has seen him contribute hugely to their unbeaten run.

But now there remains one final step for them to take to win the Tom Markham Cup. Tyrone haven’t done that since 2010.

“I want Fintona to do well and my involvement with Tyrone definitely brings me on as a player,” added Colton.

“Caolan has been giving me advice, telling me to hold nothing back and go at it. I’m going to listen to that advice. The past few weeks preparing for the final have been great.

“It has been brilliant to win the Ulster title, and then the All-Ireland quarter-final and the semi-final. The resilience of our matches in the Ulster final and the last eight has really helped us when things have got tough in recent games.”