Red Hand minors to progress
Ardboe manager, Mickey Donnelly TT4009-170JS
Tyrone minors begin their quest for Ulster honours next weekend at the Athletic Grounds when they take on Armagh in what has all the ingredients of a cracking championship encounter, writes Kevin Kelly.
Tyrone, of course won the Ulster minor league title a few weeks ago but on the same day of a double bill in Clones Armagh won the league shield so they will be confident that they can upset the odds here.
It’s a meeting between two counties who have won three out of the last four All-Ireland titles at this level but for one of them their season will end at the first hurdle and Tyrone manager Mickey Donnelly, left, is well aware of the challenge that faces his charges.
“We are in no doubt as to how difficult this game is going to be” says the Aghaloo club man.
“Their side is contains players from the St.Pauls Bessbrook school side who won Ulster and All Ireland titles this season while they have a number of the St.Pats Armagh MacRory Cup side as well who were narrowly beaten in the semi-final by champions St.Michaels Enniskillen.
The fact that it is in the Athletic Grounds is a big advantage to them as they will no doubt raise their game but we have prepared well for the game and are looking forward to it.
It was nice to win the league and training has been going well and we are just back from a weekend in Letterkenny which went well but it’s all about the championship and what happens over the sixty odd minutes next weekend.”
Tyrone certainly looked impressive when coming through their league section accounting for Derry, Donegal, Fermanagh and Antrim along the way before having to pull out all the stops to beat a determined Cavan side in the semi final at Healy Park.
In the final at Clones they played well at stages against Derry to emerge worthy winners on a 1-10 to 0-8 score line but there is no doubt that they will have to improve against the Orchard lads.
They will look for big displays from Ruairi Mullan, Padraig Hampsey, Conor Mallon and Peter McKenna in defence, Diarmuid Carroll and Sean Molloy in midfield and Kieran McGeary, Cormac O’Neill, Sean Hackett, Michael Cassidy and Ruairi Sludden in attack. There is no doubt Armagh will ask serious questions of Tyrone but the Red Hands are taken to go through to a semi-final, in which they would once again come up against Derry.
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Weather for Dungannon
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 8 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
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Temperature: 8 C to 15 C
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