‘This is a talented group of players who will be back’- says Jody

A MODERN rivalry which has been a feature of the Tyrone Championship in recent years swung away from Trillick in this year’s County Final which saw them ultimately struggled to regain the fire that has seen them win three O’Neill Cups in a decade.

Friday night saw the Reds lose to Errigal Ciaran by that one solitary point. But a single defeat or indeed victory will certainly not define this Reds team and their manager, Jody Gormley, was understandably quick to praise the players despite the pain of just a second final loss since they re-emerged as a force in 2015.

The former Tyrone player will undoubtedly look back at the video of this game to confirm what went wrong for the St Macartan’s. He was, though, quick to recognise the new champions for their fully deserved victory after an entertaining decider.

“There wasn’t much between the two teams. I felt that when we got the goal we were in a position to push on, but then Errigal showed their quality and dug out the result,” he said.

“We didn’t perform as well as we would have liked to. But that’s championship and it doesn’t always go the way that you might like.

“In a game like this, the scoring spell that Errigal had midway through the second half really boosted them. But, in saying that, we came back and I’m really proud of the character that the players displayed in coming back and getting the goal.”

Trillick’s rise since 2015 has been amazing. Just a decade ago they lost an Intermediate final, but returned to win a first senior title in 28 years in 2015. Two more titles followed in 2019 and 2023, and their rivalry with Errigal Ciaran has seen the two clubs contest three County finals in that time.

Of course there are no guarantees in Tyrone championship football, but be sure that this Reds team will be back to challenge strongly once again for the top honours. It’s something which their manager is certainly confident that they are more than capable of.

Their failure to win the title means that it is now 19 years since any club has retained the Tyrone title. Carrickmore were the last to do it in 2005, in what has to date proved to be their most recent title triumph.

“It’s tough to lose this one. There are a lot of good footballers, good teams and high quality coaching in Tyrone. This is very disappointing tonight,” added the Trillick boss.

“But this is a highly talented group of Trillick players.

“The result here doesn’t take away from the fact that they are an outstanding group of individuals and leaders with great experience and young players coming through. So the future for Trillick is bright.”

As they return to Donnelly Park to regroup for the 2025 season, the likelihood is that they will once again have a major say on the destination of next year’s O’Neill Cup as the pain of 2024 defeat eventually eases.