Ciaran on a high after Cross result

THERE is a satisfying afterglow mixed with a real sense of excitement around Donnelly Park in Trillick as the club gets set for its biggest Ulster Club match in almost fifty years on Sunday week.

Victory over Crossmaglen in the quarter final under the Saturday night lights has created bright new challenges for the Reds. A win over Scotstown on Sunday week would see them become the first team from Tyrone to reach the provincial final since Omagh in 2014.

It has been a rollercoaster ride for them, and nobody associated with the St Macartan’s wants to see the odyessy end. Put simply, this journey is one that everyone in the club is relishing.

For the players, of course, there’s the task of preparing for the clash against the Monaghan champions, who so sensationally defeated former All-Ireland champions, Kilcoo on Sunday. Ciaran Daly has been a free-scoring attacker for Trillick so far this year and he’s in no doubt about what this Ulster Club progress means for team and the community.

“Saturday night’s win was a good victory because we know all about Crossmaglen’s pedigree. We didn’t fear them coming into the game, but we were cagey and didn’t move the ball in the first half. There was a lot of disappointment among us at half-time,” he said.

“This is one more step and nothing is handed out at this stage of the Ulster Club. Tyrone’s record in the Ulster Club probably wasn’t even talked about. We were more focused on where this team wants to go.

“This is a different group than in 2015 or 2019. There’s a lot of new players and we’re trying to write our won legacy now.”

Of course, this current crop of talented Reds players are riding on the shoulders of past giants, like the teams of a few years ago and those of the seventies and eighties who blazed such a trail not only in Tyrone but in Ulster as well.

Few performances in the past, though, would have matched the style, teamwork and flare displayed by Trillick in coming from behind to hold Cross scoreless and win so convincingly on Saturday night.

“It was pleased the way we started to play in the second half. We began to put them under more pressure and took our scores. There were also more chances for the shots created and that was key to getting over the line.

“This is where this team wants to be. We’re champions of Tyrone and are just going to recover and then look at the next step,” added Ciaran Daly.

“The Trillick legacy is massive for such a small community. There are so many relatives of those players still on the team now and we’re just trying to give the best account of ourselves and move on now into the semi-final.”

After a morale-boosting win over the Rangers from Armagh – the first for a Tyrone team in the competition since 2016 – the prospects are certainly bright for a Trillick side anxious to maintain its momentum on what will be a massive weekend in the provincial series.