Clarkes boss Slater pleased with character in Carmen win

POINTS will be absolutely vital during the coming weeks as battle at the top of the Tyrone All-County League Division One table heats up the weekend’s results produced a number of key changes.

Galbally’s draw with Loughmacrory combined with Dungannon’s big win over Carrickmore mean that things have become even tighter. Now, the race is on for the title, as the competition enters its second half.

All teams will have one eye, of course, on the championship which begins in five weeks. They include Dungannon manager, James Slater, who was quick to play-down an emphatic win for the Clarkes away from home on Thursday night.

A win for them against league leaders Galbally on Wednesday night would really make things interesting, and they go into that game buoyed by a memorable victory in the Kilmacud Sevens on All-Ireland Final weekend.

“Carrickmore have been going really well and to have won away from home is great for us. But they were down a few players as well and we had a few coming back tonight,” he said.

“The most important thing in this league is to get a few wins and get them as quickly as you can to stay out of the relegation zone. Staying in senior football is probably the most important thing because it is so competitive.

“There is nothing between any of the teams at the moment. It’s brilliant for supporters, but harder for management. I suppose Tyrone is a great county to be in for club football because people are so interested and they love coming out to watch games no matter what night of the week it is.”

That game between Galbally and Dungannon this week is sure to be intriguing and it’s one that Slater is looking forward to.

“We’re five weeks away from the championship now. The thing for me in Division One is to get results. Once you do that, you park it and move on very quickly and this league doesn’t allow you to look too far ahead of yourself,” he added.

“We’ve Galbally on Wednesday night and they’re top of the league, so we’ve got to be ready for that game. “It’s a hectic schedule and we’re getting plenty of games which the players enjoy. They’re enjoying it and for us Galbally on Wednesday night are going really well. It’s going to be a massive challenge for us, but every game is big in Tyrone.”