DERRY WON’T be short of motivation going into Sunday’s Ulster football quarter-final against Monaghan. It’s a rare championship appearance on their own turf at Celtic Park; it’s the chance to avenge Monaghan’s victory of two years ago; and there’s some amends to be made for their poor showing against Kerry in last month’s National League final.
But there are some deeper motivations as well, according to defender Kevin McGuckin. Last month Derry vice-captain Niall McCusker endured a shocking tragedy when his older brother Conor died following a violent nightclub incident. Not surprisingly, the entire Derry team felt some of the shock, particularly McGuckin – who is a Ballinderry team-mate of McCusker.
In the meantime McCusker has undergone a groin operation in the hope of getting himself completely right for the championship. He will miss Sunday’s game, but the sooner he gets back playing, says McGuckin, the better for everyone. “He still has the groin injury, but obviously there was the tragedy as well, with his brother,” says McGuckin. “He’s been back doing a bit of training, but mostly rehab as well for the injury.
“But we all went up to the funeral. He’s a club-mate of mine and it was an awful tragedy within the club. So we’re just trying to pick things up at the minute. I suppose one way or the other, that’s playing football matches, trying to get a smile on people’s faces again. Niall is vice-captain this year so it will be a good one for him as well if we get over this. And get him back in for the next one.”
McGuckin has made the Derry right-corner back position his own of late, yet despite another consistent league, the defeat to Kerry in the final left a slight anti-climactic feeling. The only consolation was perhaps they’re getting the timing better this year, that their peak has yet to come.
“I know last year after we won the league, we felt the rest of the campaign didn’t go the way we wanted. Still I don’t really know what was up with the game last month. Maybe the small crowd in Croke Park. And it seemed it was played at a slower pace than imagined. We’d have been delighted to win it. But it would have been forgotten about fairly soon, so we’re really focused on the championship this year.
“If you look back we could have played a lot better, but the big thing (manager) Damien Cassidy has been telling us this year is championship football. That’s the main aim, starting with Monaghan. We know they’ll be very eager on Sunday. They’ve got a good manager in Séamus McEnaney who always gets them fired up. They’re at the stage where they have a big reputation for getting past Ulster teams.”
Cassidy is proving a highly capable manager in his first year with Derry, something McGuckin believes may finally help get the best out of the team which always promises so much come the championship, but in recent years has rarely delivered.
“Damien is a very astute man . . . He’s gone with the rotational policy and that’s gone well because we’ve a good strong panel now. We also have Kevin Madden, the former Antrim player, with us now, who looks after physical training. So I think we’re coming into good shape.”
Defender Seán Marty Lockhart (ankle injury) has been ruled out.
DERRY(SF v Monaghan): B Gillis; K McGuckin, K McCloy, G O'Kane; P Cartin, B McGoldrick, SL McGoldrick; F Doherty, J Diver; B McGuigan, P Murphy, E Lynn; E Bradley, P Bradley, J Kielt.
