Derrylaughan’s Gervin eager on provincial run

By Niall Gartland

DERRYLAUGHAN stalwart Liam Gervin is keen to emphasise that they are treating their tilt at the Ulster Intermediate Championship with the utmost gravity.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final clash against Antrim representatives All Saints, Ballymena in Cargin, the 32-year-old hinted that they have ambitions of backing up their county crown with provincial honours.

A veteran of their previous Ulster Intermediate Championship campaign back in 2010 – and he’s not the only one – Gervin says that Derrylaughan have been steeled by more recent experience of battling out in the top flight in Tyrone.

“I know a lot of us were young lads back in 2010, and though we won two games in Ulster, it wasn’t quite the same, we were basically treating it as bonus territory.

“It’s a different feeling this time around. We played in Division One for five successive years, and a previous stint of four years, and the fact we have all that experience of playing the Errigals and Trillicks of this world means that we’re a bit more comfortable this time around.

“So we’re definitely not taking it as bonus territory but at the same time we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.

“Ballymena played in Division One this year and they’ve a few county players so it’ll be a tough one but we’re certainly looking forward to it.”

Tyrone teams have won the Ulster Intermediate title on eight separate occasions since the inception of the competition in 2008. There’s an expectation that Tyrone teams will make their mark on the competition, but Gervin argues that means that Derrylaughan’s cards have been marked.

“I think to an extent there’s a target on the back of Tyrone teams. Galbally have done very well, Pomeroy were beaten by a great Cullyhanna side last year, Moortown got to an Ulster final not that long ago.

“So there’ll be a bit of pressure on us in that sense but that’s something we’re relishing.”

The Kevin Barrys were slow out of the blocks against Termon and trailed by 1-4 to no score after ten minutes of play. Gervin said there was an element of ‘shadowboxing’ in that opening spell but they certainly couldn’t afford to fall further behind and they soon got to grips with proceedings.

He said: “The thing is that you’re heading into the unknown. It’s not like a senior championship where you’re familiar with the other teams and have been watching them. There was probably a bit of shadowboxing at the start but I think we got to grips with things from about 15 minutes onwards.

“There was also the fact we’d a few days hard at it after winning the county title. It was inevitable there’d be a wee bit of a hangover but we soon found our feet, we hit seven unanswered scores before half time and we got there in the end.”