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Derry and Tyrone to meet again in Ulster U20 final
Derry U20s will meet Tyrone again this evening. Pic by Sideline Photography
Reporter:
Gary Ferry
01 May 2024 11:10 AM
Ulster U-20 FC final
Derry v Tyrone
Tonight, Armagh, 7.30pm
Referee: Diarmuid Boylan (Monaghan)
Live on TG4 YouTube
The BOX-IT Athletics Grounds in Armagh is the place to be this evening as two underage superpowers meet once again, this time in the Ulster U-20 final.
Just five weeks after Gavin Potter fisted over a 63rd minute winner to sink Derry in dramatic circumstances at Celtic Park, Tyrone meet the Oakleafers again in a much-anticipated rematch.
In the aftermath of that 0-13, 1-9 victory over Derry on their own patch, the consensus was that the teams would meet again further down the line, and that has proved to be the case, with Derry now hoping to have learned from that experience against the Red Hands.
Hugh McGrath's team got through to this year's final in dramatic circumstances of their own, as Ryan McNicholl came off the bench to hit a last-gasp winner against Donegal in last week's semi-final in Ballybofey.
On the road to this year's final, Derry made it past Monaghan in Castleblayney before dominating Antrim to book a quarter-final spot against Cavan. That proved to be another straightforward win, but last week' semi-final was anything but as Derry were pushed all the way by Donegal in a game which could have gone either way. That it ended in Derry's favour was a testament to the character of the players according to McGrath.
"Everything about the game was about getting through the game," he said afterwards. "Anytime you're in knockout football, that's what it's all about, getting through to the next stage. For this group it's an unbelievable feeling getting to a final, but it's just that, getting to a final. The next step is to win that and see where we can go beyond that."
That Donegal game could well have been the perfect preparation for this week's final, with the players having to dig deep to make it through a demanding fixture.
"I was really proud of the second half performance," McGrath reflected. "We were really subdued in the first half, and it took us a while to get going.
"The goal ignited us at the start of the second half and we kicked on really well from there. It shows you a bit about the guts and the determination of the team that getting pegged back to level and still having the wherewithal to go up and score the winner, it speaks volumes about the group."
With five of last year's minor team making the grade this time around, there are no shortage of winners in this Derry team, and McGrath believes that winning mentality has got them this far.
"We're very lucky that the group has come through successful minor grades, successful development squad grades," he agreed. "The guys on the field have been through these scenarios before, and you can see that, it comes through, there's no panic in them, they are confident in their own skin, they're confident in their own ability and hopefully that carries through to the next game."
Derry's biggest challenge is ahead of them at the Athletics Grounds in Armagh this evening, but mountains are there to be climbed and McGrath retains great faith in his teams' ability to take one more huge step.
"Tyrone are favourites for an All-Ireland here but I'd like to think we have something to say about it," he said. "But, our performance level in the first half, if we bring that to Armagh next week it's not going to work, it's not going to happen. If we get close to the second half performance, we'll be there or thereabouts but it getting young men into the right frame of mind and getting them prepared for the final so that they can go out and do the job."
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