Derry manager Paddy Tally - 'We didn't do too badly, but there's plenty to work on'

Derry manager Paddy Tally felt his side didn’t make enough of their dominance in second half before Peter Teague’s goal turned Saturday’s league opener in the Red Hands’ favour.

A goal from Conor Glass was added to with scores from Shane McGuigan to nose Derry ahead but Teague’s goal changed everything.

It was a perfect Niall Morgan pass that picked the Derry defence to create the opening.

Darren McCurry, Mattie Donnelly and Eoin McElholm added scores for a comfortable Tyrone win.

“It was a really tough game out there,” said Tally, happy for his side to get a competitive taste of life under the new rules.

After Brendan Rogers nailed the game’s first two-pointer, a goal from Michael McKernan pushed Tyrone into the driving seat.

A direct move with Anton Tohill combing for Conor Glass to hammer to the net had Derry back in the game but they failed to capitalise on it.

Tally felt his side were naturally “rusty” in the first half with fumbles and mistakes. He also rued their missed chances when the gang hung in the balance during the third quarter.

“I thought in the second half Derry were very good up until the last 10 minutes of normal time,” he said.

“We got the game back to where we wanted to be but the (second Tyrone) goal was a killer.

“It sucked the momentum out of Derry and gave Tyrone a real lift and they pushed on to win the game.

“I think we missed three or maybe four chances after that (going ahead),” Tally added.

“If we had have gotten ourselves a gap, we may have been able to hold it out but you always knew Tyrone were going to come strong.”

While Tally acknowledged it was more difficult to get a shot away in the mucky patch his team were attacking in the second half, just outside the arc, the game didn’t hang on it.

“There was a case where there were shots that could have been taken that weren’t, but I wouldn’t be using it as an excuse,” he said.

On the new rules, while not wanting to talk much of the ball being moved forward 50-metres for the ball not being handed back, he felt it was a grey area on occasions.

“It doesn’t seem natural,” he said. “I think it’s a very draconian punishment for something so simple at times.

“There was one there I don’t know if the ball was even touched on the ground and knocked away. The players weren’t too sure what it was for, and it was brought up 50-metres, so I think it’s a hard one on players.”

Tally did feel the use of a goalkeeper as a “12th player” in the attacking half is “killing the game” and referenced how the new rules were brought in to create more contests.

“That is no slight on any particular goalkeeper,” he explained. “Niall (Morgan) is a fantastic ‘keeper but it doesn’t make any sense.

“There were periods in that game today when the ball was just going back and forth across the field for two, three minutes at a time.

“It’s just a pointless rule. It doesn’t make any sense that you are now at the stage where it is nearly unfair to 11 versus 11, to add in a 12th.

“The goalkeeper contributing and coming up the field, it is something we have to look at.”

Derry’s next outing is a home clash with Kerry at Celtic Park. It will be the Kingdom’s opening game after their clash with Donegal was postponed.

“This Division One this year is the top eight teams in Ireland all in the one league and it is very, very competitive,” he said.

“There were a lot of players playing together (against Tyrone) for the first time.

“We were a bit rusty which is natural enough having had no competitive games to this point.

“We had no pre-season competition and then straight into the National League which is a hard thing for players as well. We didn’t do too bad, but plenty to work on.”