TYRONE U21 captain Frank Burns and goalkeeper Sean Fox have both been called up to the senior squad by manager Mickey Harte ahead of the Division Two final against Cavan.
Fox comes in as back-up to Mickey O’Neill after a hand injury ruled out Niall Morgan and put the Edendork man in doubt for the Ulster SFC quarter-final against Derry. Indeed, Harte seemed almost resigned to being without Morgan for that Celtic Park clash on May 22, saying of the choice for the number one jersey, which has alternated between the two this year: “It seems, for at least the next couple of games, that that decision may not have to be made.”
Pomeroy man Burns will offer options in the central-third of the pitch, having had his inclusion delayed due to his other commitments, first with Ulster University reaching the Sigerson Cup semi-finals, then as he led his county to the Ulster U21 final against Monaghan last Wednesday.
“He’s a versatile player, that’s for sure, physically strong, good on the ball, covers a lot of ground, so he has a lot of attributes that are useful in the modern game,” said Harte.
Another defender/midfielder/attacker, Peter Harte, remains doubtful for the divisional decider against the Breffni men at Croke Park on Sunday, April 24, having hurt a shoulder joint against Armagh on March 26, while forward Darren McCurry is almost certainly ruled out due to a more recent ankle injury.
Mickey Harte added: “Petey was hurt in the early minutes of the Armagh game, so he’s in a race against time. He’s doing some training - but no contact - to keep himself as fit as possible. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that he may be available in some shape for the league final, but that’s not 100 per cent guaranteed.
“Darren McCurry would be more of a concern. That only happened in the last week or so. It’s an ankle injury; it appears that there isn’t anything broken, but sometimes ligament damage can be as time-consuming to recover from as other injuries. We don’t know the full extent of that yet, but it certainly doesn’t look good for the league final anyway.”
Both McGeary brothers are currently on the injured list: Kieran has a lower leg injury, while Hugh Pat picked up a knee problem at the weekend, the extent of which is not known yet. However, Conor Meyler should have recovered from the hamstring strain that ruled him out of the recent matches against Armagh and Fermanagh.
Although Harte acknowledged Morgan’s absence is “a blow”, he is also content that he has quality ’keepers to call on in O’Neill and Fox: “Unfortunately, Niall has broken a bone in his hand.
"It could be four to six weeks, people are suggesting at the minute. That may change given more time and medical advice, but that’s the initial suggestion, which is not that good for us. Such is life.
“It depends how long he has to keep the cast on. Medics now seem to want to move the cast off as early as possible and put on an alternative removable cover so that he can do some work to rehabilitate the hand before full healing is complete. It probably may be a bit faster than it used to be, but I’m no medical expert. It’s longer than we’d like it to be at this point in time.”
Harte said choosing between O’Neill and Morgan for the Championship opener would have been very tough, although it’s the type of dilemma he has had before: “The two goalkeepers are quality players and they challenge each other.
"We’ve been very fortunate over the last number of years - we had John Devine and Packie McConnell in the same position and they battled it out, year in, year out. They probably were good for each other, in terms of making each other work hard to try to try and claim the place. But maybe it was detrimental in another way because nobody got a full run. Maybe that was why they missed out on Allstar selections or nominations that they should have had.
“So it’s a balancing act, but it’s not about individual awards, it’s about the team. Both players [Morgan and O’Neill] are working hard to try and help the team. It is a difficult decision whenever you have to pick one or the other because they’re both very accomplished goalkeepers. That would have been a hard decision for us to make. It seems, for at least the next couple of games, that that decision may not have to be made.”
Morgan is seen as superior in terms of kick-outs, but Harte is happy with O’Neill in that regard, saying: “Kick-outs were always important, but they’re becoming even more important in the modern game.
“Mickey O’Neill maybe started with a different approach to the kick-out than Niall had, but he’s good at adapting and he knows what works and what doesn’t. I don’t have any concerns around that aspect of his game at all - and he’s got plenty of game-time to work on those kind of things this year.
“Sean Fox came in last year as well whenever we lost Niall Morgan to injury. We’re fortunate to have a young fella like him who’s an accomplished ’keeper as well.
IN RESPONSE to the recent interview with The Sunday Game presenter Michael Lyster, Mickey Harte has asked us to point out he has not had a face-to-face meeting with RTE over his refusal to grant interviews to them, nor has he received an apology from them over an insensitive radio sketch broadcast in 2011.
