‘Ricey’ happy as Aghyaran bring safety dance into championship

By Barry O’Donnell

THERE will be few teams more relieved to draw a line under the league and move onto the Tyrone Championship than Aghyaran.

For long spells of the year it appeared that the St Davog’s were dicing with danger at the foot of the Division Two table, with the ominous spectre of potential relegation into Division Three looming on the horizon.

To their credit though when they needed it most, Ryan McMenamin’s charges summoned up the character and resolve to string together some much-needed victories towards the backend of their campaign.

Ultimately a hard-earned win on the road against fellow strugglers Fintona in the penultimate game ensured their safety, and left the Pearses instead facing a likely relegation play-off down the line.

McMenamin is in first year at the helm at Dolan Park and ahead of this weekend’s Intermediate Championship meeting with Moy, he acknowledges that it has been far from plain sailing.

“It has been a tough campaign, there is no getting away from that,” he admitted.

“Throughout the year we had six or seven boys not about because of long-term injuries. We didn’t have Diarmaid McHugh for the last couple of games, he has been superb all year, and we lost Caolann McHugh with a broken collar bone, we lost Ciaran McGlinchey recently for a few months too.

“We only recently got Benny (Gallen) back and there were three or four boys emigrated as well. With a small club like this all of that is going to take its toll. We knew it was always going to be tough this year.

“However the young players who came in, the likes of Alex Dolan and wee Jack Gallagher, were fantastic in stepping up when it was required.”

The former county star hopes that the series of competitive matches which Aghyaran had to play over the last few weeks, with so much at stake, will stand to them come the championship

“We were just happy to secure our safety with that win against Fintona. We rode our luck a bit in the first half but we really kicked on in the last ten minutes. The lads really showed their fitness at that stage.

“It’s something we have talked about and looked to address. I think Aghyaran in years gone past dipped coming into August in terms of results and performances, but we couldn’t afford to do that this year.

“We have just kept going. It has been a hectic schedule which is the case for all teams but we came through it okay at the end up.”

While not regarding their assignment with Moy as a free hit, ‘Ricey’ nonetheless believes his troops can approach it with a certain freedom after escaping from the drop zone.

“We now want to bring our best foot forward for the championship. The Moy are a talented side.

“They came up just short last year in the final and they will want to rectify it.

“They are a serious outfit. We went down there and they knocked five goals past us. At least now we don’t have a playoff hanging over us so the full concentration is on the Moy.”