ACL DIVISION ONE FINAL PREVIEW
By Barry O'Donnell
TWO teams who dominated club football in the County throughout the nineties, but found the competition a lot tougher in recent years, have the opportunity to round off the decade on a high note tomorrow night (Fri).
Carrickmore and Errigal Ciaran operated a private cartel for many seasons, monopolising the battle for the main prizes in Tyrone. However they have each had to make do with more meagre pickings of late, living off rations as the likes of Dromore in particular emerged as the premier force in the land.
Such a backdrop will only add to the determination within both camps to make off with the Brendan Dolan Memorial Trophy on Friday night at Healy Park when the curtain comes down on the Senior League competition.
These traditional foes used to scoop Division One titles on a consistent basis but surprisingly it's now five seasons since the ACL trophy last took up residence in Errigal's home at Dunmoyle (2005), while you have to go back even further to the Millennium year (2000) for Carrickmore's most recent success in this competition.
Peter Doherty, who has steered the fortunes of both clubs during the course of an impressive managerial career, feels the ingredients are in place for a fascinating conclusion to the domestic campaign.
" It's been a development process for both clubs this season. Peter Canavan in his first year in charge of Errigal will have been keen to make an impression. He probably thought they went fairly close against Dromore in the Championship but just couldn't get over the line. He'll want to build on that decent enough performance and a victory in the League Final represents an ideal opportunity to do just that.
" You couldn't have a better finale to the league than two teams like Errigal Ciaran and Carrickmore going all out to win a trophy. It's a work in progress for both of them but a victory on Friday will be a nice reward for their efforts to date. Both Errigal Ciaran and Carrickmore were always very successful in the league when they were at their peak winning Championships, so they'll both want to win this one."
Each team of course saw their Championship aspirations dashed by Dromore this past season and Peter believes the Gardrum Park boys are slightly ahead of the pack at present.
" Dromore had that little bit more experience and it showed in those games. They also have quality forwards and that always counts in the Championship. Dromore probably had more scoring forwards than Carrickmore and that made the difference in their match. Errigal took them to a replay in the previous game but you tend to find that the pre-match favourites learn more from the first game and it showed second time around.
" Errigal have played to an established pattern all year. The foundations lay in a solid spine of the team and they work off that. It has worked quite well for them. The only thing that was missing for them was that bit of experience. Peter (Canavan) will be happy enough at this stage of their development but it would be a big spur for them young fellas to win the league."
At this stage in their development Doherty doesn't believe that Errigal or Carmen are in a position to turn their nose up at a potential league crown, but rather argues they could both use it as a launchpad for potential Championship glory next season.
" For these two teams the league is important. If you talk to anyone involved with them they can tell you how many O'Neill Cups they've won but they're also quick to remind you of how many league titles they have. That emphasises the consistency that their various teams have shown down through the years. It's a bolt-on situation in that a win in the league can help you kick on in the Championship. For young players a success in the league can be part of a building block to go on and win an O'Neill Cup down the line."
And similar to the memorable, high-octane clashes which these fierce rivals used to regularly serve up in the past, Peter is expecting another close-fought battle that will go right down to the wire under the Healy Park floodlights.
" There's nothing between these two teams. It will probably be like a Championship match in that there will probably just be a kick of the ball between them, or a small incident might swing it one way or the other. Even though it's a League Final it will be a big occasion. Each will want to put this year to bed on a high note with a league title and think ahead then to next year's O'Neill Cup. A victory on Friday will help dilute the disappointment of missing out on the Championship which is how these two clubs ultimately measure success."
