High-flying Donaghmore just focusing on the next game

DONAGHMORE manager Mark Counihan insists that nobody in their ranks will be focusing on their Championship derby clash with Dungannon until much further down the line.

The St Patrick’s tie with the Clarkes was one of several eye-catching contests between local rivals served up in the first round draw for the 2024 Tyrone Senior Championship which was held last week. Other crackers included Clonoe vs Coalsland, Loughmacrory vs Galbally and Omagh vs Killyclogher.

Right now Donaghmore are sitting pretty at joint top of the Division One table with three victories from three outings, their latest coming last week when they dispatched with Clonoe with relative ease.

Goals from Conor Cush, Niall McKenna and Conor O’Neill saw the visitors prevail 3-12 to 0-8 at Rahillys Park.

It was another composed and at times vibrant showing by St Patrick’s, backboned by a plethora of exciting young talent.

Monaghan native Mark Counihan is in his second year at the helm, and while pleased with their encouraging opening to the campaign, he was not getting carried away.

“ It has been a good start. It’s such a competitive league and things can turn on you quickly so you take the wins when they are coming.

“ We are happy with our good run at the moment. But your attentions don’t be long turning to next week and Carrickmore coming to Donaghmore is going to be another tough battle. That’s the way week on week in Tyrone, you always have a tough game coming down the tracks.”

Taking each game as it comes is one of sport’s most hackneyed clichés but Counihan maintains that in the dog-eat-dog world of top flight Tyrone football, no team could afford to lose focus on the immediate threats ahead.

“ We feel we laid a lot of foundations last year without getting to where we wanted to get. We wanted to be a bit more competitive than we were.

“This year we have had a good start but that is all it is. Our mentality is very much on week on week. It’s onto the next one and you can’t really look beyond that in Tyrone as I said. Our focus is just on next week.”

Several Donaghmore players were pivotal to Tyrone’s All-Ireland Under-20 success earlier this year, among them their outstanding midfielder Conor O’Neill. Counihan admits that the club are blessed to have such a talented batch of youngsters in their midst.

“It is no secret that Conor has been coming through. He joined the under-20 panel this year out of Minor. We had no doubts he would be able to take the step up for us.

” It’s no different to Ben Hughes last year, Noah Grimes and Joey Clarke. All these boys have good calibre after really good juvenile careers. The are playing off the charts for us at the moment.

“ We had a few guys added into the panel and had a few injuries which have cleared up this year.

“We have a good healthy panel at the minute and we are glad to have it. It is going to take that and more to stay competitive in this league.”

Mark gives a lot of credit for the emergence of their young crop to the sterling work being carried out behind the scenes at the club.

“ It’s a credit to the juvenile structures in Donaghmore and the work that is going on there. Coaches have been working with these guys from a very young age and it’s a credit to them that these players are coming through and able to play at senior level.”

And to add to the buzz around the club right now, the blockbuster Championship draw with Dungannon, is certain to draw a lot of attention both near and far. Not that Counihan was keen to get involved in the hype right now.

“ It’s something we haven’t talked about yet. We just kept our focus on Clonoe. We just have to look at the next game and nothing beyond it. A lot can change and there is a long road to travel between now and September. It was a tasty draw all round when you look at all the pairings.

“The Tyrone Championship is famed for its quality and for its knockout structure. Looking at the draw it definitely whets the appetite.”