McDonnell expects huge Celtic Park challenge

HAVING at last ‘filled a gap’ on the Dunmoyle clubhouse gallery of past champions, Ben McDonnell appreciates that replicating the classes of 1993 and 2002 will be an even sterner test for this current Errigal Ciaran side.

The Tyrone campaigner played a starring role as Errigal bridged a ten-year gap to annex the O’Neill Cup just under a fortnight ago with victory over old adversaries Carrickmore in a riveting decider.

Now that the celebrations have died down following their Tyrone Championship victory, the team will have turned their thoughts away from parochial affairs and towards the provincial stage.

They couldn’t have been handed a more difficult opening assignment in Ulster, a meeting with Derry champions Glen, managed by former Errigal favourite Malachy O’Rourke, at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon.

The only twin triumphs registered over the past 50 years were by the current champions Errigal in 1993 and 2002, but Ben McDonnell accepts that his side face an arduous opener if they are to keep alive hopes of a third Ulster senior club title.

“Errigal has a good tradition in Ulster but Tyrone teams in general haven’t had over recent years. We meet Glen who will be among the favourites. It’s going to be a tough task. Malachy O’Rourke knows this Errigal team inside out, he lives in Ballygawley.

“The teams wouldn’t know each other as well as they do rivals within their own county so the games can be a bit more open and better to watch. But no doubt they will be targeting the star men like Petey Harte and the Canavans. It’s a good time for other men to step up to the plate and push us on.”

Twenty-six year old McDonnell was one of those trusty foot-soldiers who put his shoulder to the wheel in the County Final, just when Carrickmore were threatening a second half fightback. His dynamic runs helped to puncture holes in the Carmen rearguard and set up vital scoring opportunities for his grateful colleagues.

He was delighted at the manner in which Errigal rode out the storm to emerge as County champions.

“We knew we were in for a battle with Carrickmore. They have that Championship pedigree in their history. They came up to Dunmoyle in the League Final last year and bullied us all over the pitch so we knew that they would come out and get stuck into us. So that second half fightback wasn’t unexpected, it was up to us to deal with it when it came along.”

Unfair or not, this Errigal team were developing an unwanted ‘bridesmaids’ tag after a serious of near misses in big finals over recent season. Ben was delighted to silence the carpers once and for all.

There has been a lot of criticism of this team individually and as a unit over the past couple of years. The pressure was really on us coming into this season. It was great to make the breakthrough and to be able to draw a line under the criticism and the defeats we have had since we last won in 2012. We hopefully can build on it now.”

Having savoured being part of the Tyrone All-Ireland winning panel last year, McDonnell was candid enough to admit that there was something uniquely special about winning with your club.

“It’s special winning with your club. When you look around and see members of your own community hugging you after the final whistle, it’s hard to keep your emotions together, especially with the hurt this club has been through over this past ten years to get here. It was just great to put smiles on people’s faces again.”