Connolly’s of Moy Tyrone SFC round one
Carrickmore v Dromore (Friday, Healy Park, 8.30pm)
TWO of the fancied contenders for this year’s championship meet at O’Neills Healy Park this evening when either Carrickmore or Dromore will fall at the first hurdle.
Carrickmore lead the roll of honour with 15 titles, but it’s almost two decades since their last success, while the most recent of Dromore’s four titles was achieved in 2021.
So both clubs will feel that they are due a return to the glory days, and they have backed that sentiment up with strong league campaigns.
Carrickmore captain Sean Loughran feels his team is ready for the challenge, but will need a huge performance to get past an improving Dromore side.
“Three years ago they were the county champions, and they’re riding high,” he said.
“It’s going to be a mammoth task. We played them at the start of the year, but they were missing six or seven starters, so it’s going to be a completely different game.
“Every game we just want to improve, and hopefully we’ll bring our A-game to it.”
Carmen still lead the roll of honour, but haven’t won the O’Neill Cup in almost two decades, a barren spell they’re determined to end.
“Every year you do set out to go as far as possible in the championship,” said Loughran.
“Some years it has gone for us and some years it hasn’t.
“In recent years we haven’t lived up to that history, but this year hopefully it will be different, and we’ll hopefully be going to the very end of the championship year.”
Dromore joint-manager Ryan McMenamin is relishing another sudden-death encounter which he hopes will bring the best out of his side.
“It’s knock-out and you have one chance. It you take it, you take it, and if you don’t perform on the night, fair play to the winners,” he said.
“I think it’s going to be the tie of the round, and hopefully we come out on the right side if it, but I’m sure Carrickmore are going to be saying the same
“It’s going to be a battle, between two teams that have great respect for each other.”
McMenamin has had many fierce encounters with Carrickmore as a player, and the rivalry has not diminished.
“I played against them many times and it was always a good battle.
“There’s good tradition between the teams, and we’re looking forward to it in Dromore and I’m sure the boys in Carrickmore are looking forward to it as well.
“There’s some great fixtures. Killyclogher and Omagh are playing, there’s a lot of good fixtures, and that’s the joy of the Tyrone championship.”
The St Colmcille’s, after reaching the final in 2022, suffered a first-round exit last year at the hands of Edendork, while Dromore lost a quarter-final to Dungannon after getting past Galbally.
Danny Fullerton, Lorcan McGarrity and Ciaran Daly are accurate finishers who will spearhead the Carmen challenge, but they face one of the most solid defensive units in the county, backboned by Nathan McCarron, Peter Teague, Tommy McCarron and Conor O’Hara.
Niall Sludden, Declan McNulty and Ronan McNabb jnr are the men that Dromore depend on for the scores that will see them through, but they will have to find a way to break down a solid rearguard built around Cormac Munroe, Oisin McElroy and Ruairi Loughran.
It may take a moment of magic or an unfortunate mishap to decide a tie that looks like it will go right to the wire.