McElroy keen to see Aghaloo back in winners enclosure

AGHALOO probably feel they are a due a return to the left hand side of the ledger in the Junior Championship Final roll of honour.

Whether it’s Wikipedia or Joe’s much more reliable ‘bible’ of Tyrone GAA history, the O’Neills do pop on in the runner-up list more often than they would wish when you take a quick peruse of the past Junior finalists.

They have lost four on the bounce (2022, 2015, 2012, 2008) since they last cantered into the winner’s enclosure in the Junior Championship (1991), though an Intermediate title success in 2002 indicates that as a club they do know what it takes to go all the way.

Former captain and still key attacker Niall McElroy insists that nothing can be achieved by continuing to harp on about what might have been.

“ It’s not a nice feeling when you look back. But we are not looking back any more. We are looking ahead now to this final with Killeeshil. We just want to give it a real cut because maybe we didn’t do that in the past. We will see where it takes us.

“ Once Drumquin pipped us in the League decider we sort of knew Division Three was going their way with just two games left so all our focus switched to the Championship. We put our heads down after that and just went for it”

Aghaloo lost by six points to Stewartstown (2-10 to 0-10) in their most recent Final appearance in 2022, with the Harps subsequently progressing all the way to a Croke Park outing in the All-Ireland Junior Final. McElroy admits that they were a distant second best that day in Omagh.

“ It was painful definitely and lingered for a while. Stewartstown were just better on the day and we didn’t perform to the level we thought we needed to. But hats off to them they put us to the sword that day.”

If the O’Neills are to take ownership of the Pat Darcy Cup this Sunday it won’t be a straightforward task, with neighbours Killeeshil equalling determined to annex the prized silverware on offer. McElroy isn’t surprised that their neighbours from over the road have made the final.

“ Everyone knew when Killeeshil came down they were always going to be thereabouts in the League and Championship looking to go back up straightaway. They are a good outfit, full of good young lads. You can’t get any better than a derby for a County Final. Hopefully we are on the right side of it this time.

“ I don’t think anyone is surprised to see Killeeshil reach the final. They pushed Galbally all the way in the Intermediate semi-final a few years ago so that shows the talent they have.”

Aghaloo looked in real bother at half-time in their semi-final against Glenelly, trailing by  three points- 0-6 to 0-3- but they turned on the afterburners after the break to leave the St Joseph’s trailing in their wake, and a late Niall Henderson goal put the seal on a resounding 1-14 to 0-7 triumph. McElroy admitted that they needed a marked improvement in the second half to preserve their Championship aspirations.

“ We weren’t really satisfied with our first half although we were playing against the breeze. Our conversion rate was poor, we were attacking okay but just not getting the scores or taking the right option.

“ But we settled down at the break and set the tone at the start of the second half. We cut the three point gap and once we got in front we didn’t stop.

“ Everyone in Tyrone knows how hard working Glenelly are. They have a few good footballers coming through and once they get on top it’s hard to stop their momentum. But once we found our way into the game and upped our intensity we just went for it and never took our foot of the pedal. We just backed each other up, with men coming up off the shoulder to get in shots and lend support.”