Killyclogher haven’t contested a Tyrone SFC semi-final since 2018, but manager Eoghan Bradley believes they’re ready to challenge once again.
They face a huge task in Sunday’s last four clash with Errigal Ciaran, both sides back in action a week after coming through tough replays.
Bradley feels his team has come together as an effective unit that can match the county’s best.
“This is probably the best Killyclogher team there has been in a while,” he said. “There’s just talent all over the pitch. We have great youth and there’s great old heads in there, like Danny Gorman and Emmet McFadden.
“We have a good blend all over, we have the three McCanns, we’re blessed with a bit of talent.”
It’s a repeat of last year’s first round tie which Errigal won comfortably en route to a second successive appearance in the county final.
Bradley watched Errigal’s hard-fought quarter-final replay win over Clonoe, and identified areas where the St Mary’s can gain an edge.
Last Thursday’s re-match against Carmen was a dogged, tactical affair which demanded a specific game-plan, but a different approach will be required this weekend against a star-studded Errigal side that will attack at every opportunity.
“We’ll do what we always do, try and see where we can get an edge and get in.”
He’s confident his players can adapt to a different type of challenge than the claustrophobic affair that unfolded at O’Neills Healy Park, where Carrickmore set up defensively in a bid to frustrate their opponents.
The big crowd that turned up at the Omagh venue for the second instalment of the Killyclogher v Carrickmore saga weren’t treated to a classic exhibition of flowing football, but they were no less enthralled by a gripping contest that could have gone either way.
“We created enough entertainment the first day, this was just about getting over the line,” said Bradley.
“Look, you have to match up what the opposition is going to do, and they sat back in, so we knew we were going to have loads of the ball, and it was just about not giving it away.”
Former Tyrone attacker Mark Bradley was the key to his side’s success. Having turned the drawn game in Killyclogher’s favour with a volley of brilliant scores, he came up trumps again with five glorious points, which proved crucial in a low-scoring encounter.
“Everybody knows about Mark Bradley, he’s a fantastic footballer, he can shoot from everywhere.
“He’s just a fantastic player to have in your team, he’s a real leader, he pulls everybody else along with him.”
Manager Bradley was certain that Carrickmore would once again establish a defensive cordon in an effort to frustrate his side, and he responded accordingly with a plan designed to break down the resistance.
It would take patience, vision and astute decision-making, but they stuck at it, and gradually the openings began to appear, and with them scoring opportunities.
“We went toe to toe last week in the first half, and we came out the better team at half-time.
“In the second half they pulled everybody back and made it very hard for us, so we knew rightly that’s what they were going to do again.
“So it was just about having that bit of composure and not kicking away the ball, just trying to grind it out, create gaps and make them come out, and it worked out well.”
