‘No-one is unbeatable’ – Correy Bell backs Edendork to take on Crossmaglen

EDENDORK had to draw on all the experience of their more seasoned players and the energy of young emerging stars to get past a dogged St Brigid’s side.

The Tyrone champions crossed the finish line with just a point with just a point to spare in a scrappy Ulster Club Senior Football Championship quarter-final at O’Neill Park in Dungannon, and manager Brian McGuckin was a relieved man at the end of it all.

“All our experience was required there tonight, because whenever we felt that we had a wee bit of daylight between ourselves and CoSt Brigid’s, they kept coming back at us,” he said.

“They were getting majors at very vital times, but I thought that we responded really well to their goals.”

Unforced errors and occasional lapses peppered a mixed performance by the St Malachy’s, who were clearly feeling the energy-sapping effects of a hectic schedule which has seen them play four high profile championship games on successive weekends.

Much of what his side produced was pleasing to McGuckin and coaches Malachy McGlinchey and Conleith Gilligan, but he accepts that many issues need to be addressed if they’re to take down the mighty Crossmaglen in the semi-final on Sunday week.

“I was very pleased with aspects of our play, but a lot of it needs worked on.

“But more importantly, how we responded to their penalty, and how we controlled that last three or four minutes, was very pleasing, but to be honest, I was delighted to hear the final whistle.

“It wasn’t pretty, and we know that ourselves. Four weeks in a row has taken its toll on us.”

Knocks, niggles and more serious injuries have mounted over the four weeks that have transformed the fortunes of one of Tyrone’s smallest clubs.

From the drama of the drawn county final against Errigal Ciaran, followed by a sensational last gasp winner in the replay, to a workmanlike Ulster Club SFC preliminary round victory over Down champions Clonduff and a narrow defeat of Antrim kingpins St Brigid’s, the players have taken themselves to the very limits of their physical capacity.

The courage and determination that they have shown in playing through the pain barrier, dragging wearied legs that extra yard in the most challenging of situations, speaks volumes of the character of an exceptional group of footballers.

“If it had been any lesser of a game, there would have been three or four boys who wouldn’t have been playing.

“It says more about the character of the fellows, that they were willing to go that extra yard, they were willing to patch themselves up, they were willing to put themselves out there, with painkillers and everything else that goes with it.

“But that’s what’s expected of this group, and they expect it of themselves. They have very high standards.

“The recovery time over the next two weeks is going to be vital, we need to get them recovered fast so that we can start preparing.”

For the first time in this condensed run of games, Edendork have the luxury f a two-week break ahead of their Ulster semi-final clash with Crossmaglen.

For the players, this week will be all about recovery and an abundance of TLC in the treatment room, while the management will get straight down to the task of devising a tactical plan to take down the Armagh champions, who came from 11 points behind to beat Gowna in their quarter-final.

“This week is going to be mainly based around getting the bodies recovered, and obviously there’s a lot of work that we can do on Crossmaglen this week as well,” said McGuckin.

“We’ll focus on the analysis side of things, we’ll get the bodies recovered, and we’ll be ready then to get down to work next week.”

After four punishing weeks on the road, the first priority is to get the walking wounded patched up and get ready to take on the mighty Crossmaglen, and having come through a series of energy-sapping championship games on successive weekends over the past month, the Tyrone champions can finally take a breath.

A small squad has been stretched almost to breaking point by the demands of a serious run of championship encounters, and wing back Correy Bell is grateful for the opportunity to enjoy a two-week interval between games.

“If you play four or five weeks on the bounce, your legs are going to go, and that’s just what happened us,” said Bell.

“That’s what you expect when you have such a tight schedule.

“There’s boys picking up niggles, boys going to be out, but we have two weeks now before the next one, so we’ll get back to the drawing board and we’ll hopefully get those boys sorted for the next game.”

For the first time this year, the St Malachy’s went into a game as favourites, but were pushed all the way by Antrim champions St Brigid’s, who left O’Neill Park cursing a one point defeat.

“We definitely made hard work of if, we just weren’t ourselves, really, we were a wee bit sloppy on it.

“But we came to do a job, we got it done, and we’ll go back, look at the performance, fix it and move on, it’s the most we can do.

“This is the first game we came into as favourites, but we knew St Brigid’s were a good team, and they showed that.

“They wanted it, but luckily enough we had that experience to see it out.

“It was a bit nervy at the end, but we got that lead, we kept it, we held the ball, even though we did give it away at the end, but we killed it, and we were happy to walk away with a win.”

To compete in three rounds of the Ulster Club Championship is the stuff of dreams for one of Tyrone’s smallest clubs, county champions for the first time in their 94-year history, but with each passing game, belief is rising.

“There’s boys who have been playing here for years and years, and they never thought it was going to happen.

“But this team has big ambitions, and we’re relying on the belief that we have and the experience that we have.”

And Bell (20) insists that anything is possible when they take on the legendary Crossmaglen, winners of eleven Ulster titles and six All-Irelands.

“They’re a serious, serious side, but luckily enough we have two weeks to prepare for them now.

“They have big names in their side, great players, but we have players like that too, so they’ll be wary of us.

“We go with the task in hand, and no matter who comes at us, we’re going to take them head on.

“No-one is unbeatable, and in this competition, with straight knock-out, anything can happen.

“We’re riding on that belief, and it keeps going with every game, and the further we get, it just grows and grows. We have nothing to lose.”

The performance against St Brigid’s was far from perfect, disjointed at times, but it gives the Red Hand title-holders a range of issues to improve upon ahead of the next challenge.

“We have a lot to learn, a lot to improve on, but we got the win, even though we weren’t at our best.

“We can perform much better than that, and we have done in the past, so hopefully the next day we’ll perform to our true ability.”