Kildress manager proud with players’ response to poignant season

By Niall Gartland

KILDRESS boss Cathal Corey is proud of how his players have come together and given everything to the cause in memory of their captain Matty McGuigan, who died suddenly last December.

Matty’s untimely death sent shockwaves reverberating through the entire Tyrone GAA community, but it was a particular loss to the Kildress club, whom he represented with distinction for many years from underage right through to senior level.

There has been a determination to honour his memory in the best possible fashion both on and off the pitch and a number of Kildress footballers decided against retiring or taking a sabbatical with Matty very much at the forefront of their thoughts.

Speaking in the wake of Friday evening’s league victory over Clogher, a potentially significant result in the battle for survival in the bottom half of Division Two, manager Corey praised the commitment of his players.

“It’s been difficult but sometimes tragedies can bring people together and everyone’s made themselves available and wants to do well for Matty.

“We’ve 35-40 lads which is brilliant, and we won the Reserve shield. It brings a bit of light after such a traumatic time.

“I came on board in January, it’s taken a wee while getting to know some of the lads but it’s brilliant now. It’s where I’m from and where I live so it’s extra special taking your own club.

“My son Gavin is involved, he’s playing away with the reserves. Conor Quinn was due to go to Australia and he cancelled his plans. Our captain Philly Lennon had retired, so had Conor McAleer our goalkeeper, and they’ve come back. All those wee things add up in a positive way.”

While Kildress aren’t out of the woods just yet (though a positive result against Naomh Eoghan last night would go a long way to ensuring their Division Two status), they’ve fared well this year in the circumstances.

Corey has managed various clubs in Donegal, Derry and Monaghan, as well as a period at the helm of Sligo’s senior intercounty footballers. It was always going to be difficult to say no when his native Kildress came calling at the onset of the new season.

“As the boys always say, I’ve had more clubs than Tiger Woods, but it’s always lovely to be back in Kildress.

“Dean McNally is joint-manager, he’s back playing as well, and I said to him last Wednesday evening at training that if we were to get two points against Clogher we’d be on 10 points and we’d have taken that at the start of the season, to have that many points with four games remaining.

“It’s the strangest league in a way. Gortin are top of the table and we drew with them, and then we played against Drumragh who were bottom of the table and we drew with them as well.

“I couldn’t tell you the difference between the top and bottom teams. Every team puts in the same effort and we’re all still battling away for points. Tyrone Intermediate football is seriously, seriously competitive so you have to be at the top of your game every day you go out.”