Rugby - Return of the Mac

AIL Division 2B Dungannon v City of Derry 2.30pm kick off

IT will be a sort of homecoming for City of Derry’s Richard McCarter when Derry travel to Dungannon on Saturday to resume their AIL league campaign. McCarter enjoyed three seasons at Stevenson Park before returning to Judges Road to see out the autumn of his career, and is expecting another typical Ulster derby this weekend. “It will be” said the classy out-half, now doubling as the club’s ‘backs coach’ this season. “Dungannon would have been a few leagues above us in previous years and we wouldn’t have played them too often in the All Ireland. This last couple of years has been a fairly new fixture for both clubs.There’s been a few players gone back and forward between the two clubs, myself included. The clubs know each other reasonably well and there will be a fairly big rivalry.” Derry’s sparkling early season run was rudely interrupted last week when they were dumped out of the Ulster Senior Cup by Ballynahinch, despite being 24-8 ahead with just 18 minutes to go. A brace of tries from Steven Corr and another by David Graham gave the visitors a commanding lead, but unfortunately for Terry McMasters’ men they were unable to bring home the victory as ‘Hinch battled back to win 33-29. “We dominated the scoreboard, possession and territory for sixty minutes but we lost focus for the last twenty” explained McCarter. “A lot of inaccuracies crept into the performance as well as individual errors. To be fair to Ballynahinch they raised their performance levels. They got a sniff and the momentum of the game totally swung. We lost our composure and never really got it back. “For sixty minutes we were really good and it just goes to show we’re not too far away from where we want to be. They are three leagues above us in the All Ireland. They have Academy players and some contracted players. They have a huge squad to dip in from. "We were always expecting a really tough game. We nullified their threats for the majority of it, but it was just that crucial period at the end where we weren’t properly focused that cost us.” Derry have used cup competitions in the past to both rest players and to give fringe players some valuable game time, and that was no different at Ballymacarn Park, despite playing a side several leagues higher than the Judges’ Road club. “A few players were due a rest and a few were due an opportunity," McCarter continued. "Simon Logue started at scrum-half and Ian Bratton started on the wing. Myself and Andy Semple started on the bench but we ended up on in the first half because of injuries which disrupted us as well.” Indeed, the visitors were decimated with injuries during the game with Ali Beckett (tight groin), Ian Bratton (hamstring), John Burns - who suffered a bang on the nose which he broke against Armagh, and David Ferguson (knee) all limping off the park. Club captain Ferguson, however, is back in contention for the trip to Dungannon but the outlook is less clear for Burns. Mid-table Dungannon have blown hot and cold this season so far, but ominously for Derry they have won all their AIL games at home. McCarter is well aware that his old club will present a serious challenge to Derry’s 100% win record in the league this year. “Dungannon seemed to have turned things around with Andrew Hughes and Seamus Mallon in there as coaches now and it will be tough, no doubt about it," he agreed. "It’s always difficult going there. But we know if we get our act together and we play our phases and patterns we have a really good chance of winning the match. "We have to get off to a good start and we can’t afford wee spells like last week where we took our eye off the ball and became laxadaisical. We know that they have a lot of good players and they’ll have threats. But we do as well and that’s what we like to concentrate on.” The 31-year-old is also expecting his pack to be heavily involved in Saturday afternoon's action. “Dungannon will play it in the forwards quite a bit I would imagine. They have a scrum-half who is a good player, likes to box kick. He’s a hard, nuggety scrum-half who likes to keep it tight with the forwards and I can’t see them playing too expansive of a game.” Despite their premature exit from the Ulster Senior Cup, the Derry clubman isn’t too downbeat, with all eyes very much on a bigger prize this year. “We obviously wanted to do well in the cup, but it definitely wasn’t the end of the world losing, and it gave us an idea of where we are at. "We know now we’re not far away from reaching a higher level. But the All Ireland is our bread and butter and we want to get back to winning ways because we want to win that league, no qualms about it. We just have to keep that momentum we have generated going, our form and our confidence.”

Match report in Monday's Derry News.