Loughmacrory set for landmark fixture

ONE talking point is demanding the attention of everyone around Loughmacrory this week as the countdown begins in earnest to a Tyrone Senior Championship clash which is quite simply the most important ever for the St Teresa’s club.

It is exactly 50 years since the club was formed. Back at the end of 1971 the request went out from the GAA people of Loughmacrory that they wanted to start a team of their own and separate from the Carrickmore St Colmcille’s.

So began a journey which reaches another massive milestone with the meeting of the two in Senior Championship action this Saturday in Pomeroy for just the second time ever.

In 2009 Carrickmore won by a point in the first round. How this 2022 meeting will go and who will win are the twin questions and the answers depend very much as to who within the parish of Termonmaguirc is being asked.

This game is certain to draw a bumper attendance to nearby Plunkett Park. But those within Loughmacrory team itself are remaining firmly tightlipped about their prospects of producing a victory that, if it was achieved, would definitely be relished with great fervour.

Team manager, Martin McConnell, will be well aware of what’s at stake even though he’s a Clogher native.

His focus is on the preparations and he knows that the St Teresa’s will have to improve substantially on their display against Derrylaughan in round one to emerge from Saturday’s clash.

“The wind didn’t help us in the game against Derrylaughan and our performance wasn’t helped by the wind on the day. We just made the wrong decisions at times, even though the effort was definitely there,” he said.

“We definitely had opportunities, missed frees and you have have to make those count.But the reality is that we need to improve because the performance against them won’t do in the next round.

“There’s a lot for us to work. We’re under no illusions because, whether it was going to be Carrickmore or Coalisland, they are very strong teams.

“But we’re in the quarter finals on merit and we know that we’re going to have to up our game.

“The reality is that we’re still in the Championship.

“We made hard work of things in the last round and got lucky with the last minute penalty.

“Nobody likely gave us any chance of reaching the quarter final and ourselves or Derrylaughan would probably be the teams everyone wanted to meet.”

How things go for the St Teresa’s on Saturday remains to be seen.Suffice to say, though, that their defensive resolve and the derby element of this clash means that a close encounter of the very best kind is being anticipated.