McShane looking forward to Derry rematch

AN early season engagement with reigning Ulster champions Derry is just what the doctor ordered for Tyrone as they continue their early season preparations, Cathal McShane insists.

The Owen Roes attacker weighed in with three points as the Red Hands accounted for Fermanagh 0-17 to 1-7 in their McKenna Cup Section B opener last midweek at a blustery O’Neill’s Healy Park.

Inevitably it was a fairly low-key evening as both sides sought to shake off the cobwebs following months of hibernation, but the intensity levels shold be racked up a bit this Wednesday night when Tyrone travel to Owenbeg to tackle the Oak Leafers.

It’s a repeat of last year’s Ulster Championship tie in Omagh, which proved to be an ignominious afternoon for the hosts as they surrendered the Anglo-Celt Cup in limp manner, with Derry going on to eventually annex the trophy.

McShane admits that their fierce rivals enjoyed a fine breakthrough season in 2022 but he was looking forwarding to renewing battle with them, albeit the stakes are much lower on this occasion.

“ They were very good and very confident in everything they did. They won Ulster and got to Croke Park only to fall short in the semi-final. That will motivate them to push on and improve. Anytime you go out to play Derry it is always a tough game and this week will be no different. But we are just looking at ourselves and looking to improve on last year and push on for the season ahead.”

Coming into this season on the back of a disappointing 2022, McShane was relieved to see Tyrone get back into the winner’s enclosure against the Erne men.

“ Obviously it’s a new year and we are back together training now for a number of weeks. The aim tagainst Fermanagh was to get back at it and get a good performance in and get two points on the board.

“ The McKenna Cup is important every year to break players in and give players game time. Last year didn’t go the way we wanted it to go so it was good to get back out there and get off to a good start.

“ Every time you go out and put on a Tyrone jersey you are looking to represent the people of your county as well as yourself, club and family. It’s 2023 and this is a new start for all of us. It was important to begin the new season with a win and to lay down a marker to show that this is how we want to continue.”

Tyrone were slow to get into their stride last week and took nearly half an hout of a pedestrian first period before they registered their first score from open play. McShane felt that mitigating factors had to be taken into consideration.

“ Healy Park on a Wednesday evening at this time of year can be tough with the weather to take into consideration and a slippy pitch. We knew it could be a bit iffy at the start. We just had to make sure our skills were at a high level. We tried to do that as best as possible.

“ On the first day out nothing is going to be perfect. It’s about working on our game and making sure we get better everytime we play. That will be the plan going forward.”

Tyrone fielded six debutants for their McKenna Cup opener, with another three newcomers drafted in off the bench in the second half. McShane admitted that it is hard to audition for a permanent starting berth at this time of year, but overall he was impressed with his new team-mates and added that competition for places was vital for any successful team

“ I think back to myself playing McKenna Cup when I came into the team you try and put in a good performance. But I thought the new boys in the team performed very well. They acquitted themselves well and got a few scores. That is always good for confidence.

“ That is what we need, every man chipping in and putting the shoulder to the wheel. It always takes an overall team performance if you are going to be successful. It is good for them to get game time and they will be looking to push on the rest of the year.

“ We just need to keep the head down and keep working hard. We are using every game to build for the league so Derry will be another tough game. They are training well and coming in off a good season last year so they will be keen to build on that. They are our neighbours too so there is always that rivalry anytime you play them.”