GAA: Upbeat Scullion looking forward to Armagh clash

Upbeat Scullion looking forward to Armagh clash Steven Doherty reports from Owenbeg DERRY assistant manager Tony Scullion fields post-match questions in a similar fashion as to how he used to play the game – firm but fair. Scullion admitted that this was a game Derry should have wrapped up, leading as they did by four points with the wind at their backs and only ten minutes left to play. But rather than put their opponents to the sword, Derry retreated into their shells and attempted to hold onto a lead that a rallying Meath quickly nibbled into. Was the Ballinascreen man disappointed in the closing phases of Derry’s play, when they let the Royals off the leash? “Disappointed in the last ten minutes,” he acknowledged. “We were four up and we seemed to sit on our laurels. We’ve tried to defend a lead and you can’t defend a lead in Gaelic football. We were trying our best to encourage them from the sideline here to push up. But unfortunately, because I’ve worn that T-shirt myself, it’s not easy to turn it around. “But when Meath went one up, that’s a young Derry team. There’s no Fergal Dohertys and Patsy Bradleys any more. They were two legends for Derry and they’re gone. When you look at that team out there you had no Dermot McBride, you had no Enda Lynn. You had Mark Lynch only coming back from injury. We have a long injury list. I think the injuries are coming round. We’re a young team and we need to crawl before we run.” On the injury front, Scullion had positive news on a couple of Derry’s long-term absentees. “Dermot McBride got pretty good news the other day. In a couple of weeks he’ll be back out on the field again and we’re hoping he’ll be ready for the championship. Kevin Johnston is a legend for one so young and he’ll tick every box in terms of getting himself fit. He’s a top lad and a great wing-back for Derry. Kevin is back out playing in-house matches for us. He’ll be ready to go in the next couple or three weeks too.” Despite Meath having the physical edge in terms of height across the middle, with Harry Rooney and the giant Padraic Harnan enjoying a visible height advantage over Mark Lynch and Conor McAtamney, Derry won the majority of the kick-outs at Owenbeg. Was the Derry coach concerned that his side were unable to turn that statistic into scores? “Yes. Our kick-outs worked well today but we have to put our hand on our hearts, as a team, and put our hands up for the two goals. At this level we haven’t kept a clean sheet this year. Even though our defence was very good today, we gave away two lapses of concentration which led to the two goals. That was killing us in the first half.” There was a question over Meath’s second goal as to whether Andrew Tormley was in the square before the ball was played in, but the Derry legend batted away any such talk. “No, it wasn’t a square ball. Let’s call a spade a spade. I’m not going to look for any excuses. I think the rule the GAA brought in is absolutely brilliant. As soon as the ball’s kicked everybody can go inside the square. You can’t touch the goalie, you can’t take him out. I thought the referee handled the game absolutely brilliantly today. No, no excuses. It was a wee mistake as a team. It was nobody’s individual error, it was a team error – we let a goal in.” Derry’s last remaining league game now sees them travel to Armagh in need of a point to mathematically secure their status in the league’s second tier. “Absolutely,” he enthused, in that infectious Tony Scullion manner. “I’ve had great battles with Armagh down through the years. They are a great team and they play with great heart and passion. Kieran McGeeney will bring out the best in Armagh. We are looking forward to it. It’s a great challenge to go to the Athletic Grounds next Sunday. After next weekend we are preparing for the championship against Tyrone on 22nd May. But what better preparation can you get than a visit to the Athletic Grounds before the championship.” Asked if poor league form might mean better championship form, and the Derry coach replied: “Division Two, please God, we can stay in it and we can get enough if we need something in the Athletic Grounds next week. I think Division Two is the right division for this Derry team, it’s not Division One. You can’t try out new players in Division One. It’s championship game after championship game. Division Two is more our level. I know it’s very intense, and very hard to come out of but we’ll be delighted if we can stay in it over the next year or two. Whenever we have a panel ready to go into Division One we’ll be able to do so. Will it do us any harm to be playing Division Two and going into the championship? Honestly, I don’t think it matters whether you are coming in from Division One or Two coming into the championship.” Armagh v Derry Sun, 2pm Athletics Grounds