BRIAN Dooher was playing with Tyrone well before Mickey Harte took over as senior manager, but of course his greatest years with that Red Hand crest on his chest came when Harte was in the dugout.
Three Sam Maguires, six Ulster titles, two National Leagues, three Allstars… Glory years indeed but time moves on and, when Tyrone take on Derry at Celtic Park on February 4, Dooher will be up against his former mentor for the first time ever.
It’s nearly three months since Harte was confirmed as Derry manager but seeing him, with his Derry gear on, at last Wednesday night’s Dr McKenna Cup launch was still a shock to the system.
“Ah well, it (Harte becoming Derry manager) was a surprise and not a surprise – whatever way you look at it,” said Dooher.
“Mickey has taken on one of the top teams in Ireland and he sees that as a great opportunity and he’s not wrong there. It’ll keep everybody talking if nothing else but to me it’s only a bit of a sideshow - let’s get back to the football and get on with it again.”
Their paths didn’t cross during Harte’s three seasons with Louth but now that he’s back in Ulster football the February clash could be the first in a series and if Tyrone are to get back to where they were in Dooher and Feargal Logan’s first season in charge, the Red Hands will need to be coming out on top.
“I’ve never come up against Mickey before but, here, it’s just another match,” says Dooher.
“The media will perceive it as being Mickey against us but, you know what, that’s not the case. What matters is what goes on on the field and the two teams are going to be out there playing football and we shouldn’t forget that.”
Under Harte, Tyrone dominated the Dr McKenna Cup and it’s likely he will look to do the same with the Oak Leafers who go into next year’s competition as the defending champions. Under Rory Gallagher last year, Derry gave Tyrone a bit of a hammering in the final when goals from Shane McGuigan, Niall O’Donnell and Oisin McWilliams left 12 points between the teams at the finish.
Derry went on to clinch promotion to Division One and, despite Gallagher’s resignation, they retained the Ulster Championship title and came within a whisker of reaching the All-Ireland final.
Just a few weeks away from a new season all things are possible, says Dooher, whose side begin their Division One campaign against Roscommon in Omagh on January 28.
“Everybody is optimistic,” he said.
“We all live in hope. We’re looking forward to getting back into it again and playing football. We’ve a right bit of work to do yet but hopefully over the next few weeks we’ll get the work done – we’ll have a break for Christmas and then go again.”
