Aghyaran boss delighted as long wait comes to an end

By Niall Gartland

AGHYARAN’S minor footballers have bided their time for six long months and their manager Owen Devine is delighted and relieved in equal measure that they’ll get the chance to fulfil their outstanding fixtures in the coming days.

Tomorrow evening they take on Badoney in the Grade Three Minor Championship semi-final, followed by a Grade Three Minor League final clash against Naomh Eoghan on Tuesday.

The GAA decided last October to call a halt to all youth fixtures just days before they were set to play those two matches – and who would’ve thought back then that the games would remain on hold until May 2021?

That’s just how things panned out, and their manager Owen Devine queries whether it was really that necessary to keep youngsters off the pitch at such a crucial stage in their footballing and social development.

“We’re just happy and relieved to get the opportunity to finish matters on the field no matter what way the matches go for us,” said the teacher at the Sacred Heart, Omagh.

“My personal opinion is that young people should’ve been allowed to continue with outside sports. There’s little to no risk of transmission and for six months, all the benefits that sport brings to young people was taken away, I thought it was unfair.

“Initially we were allowed to train and I actually remember we trained the morning Tyrone played Donegal as they wanted to have time to watch the match. We kept on training hoping things would open up, but then it was one piece of bad news after another. We’ve been back at it for a couple of weeks, and it’s great to have them back playing, it’s a bit of fun, it’s exercise and fresh air.”

See today’s Ulster Herald for the rest of our interview with Owen Devine