The week has started well for Stephen O'Neill and he hopes it will end well also. That would mean a Tyrone victory over Kildare in Saturday's Allianz National Football League semi-final, at Croke Park, but the Red Hand 'striker' is not counting his chickens just yet.
Yesterday, O'Neill was named the Ulster GAA Writers' Merit Award winner for March, a timely boost after Tyrone's narrow defeat by Kerry, at Healy Park in Omagh on Sunday, and a boost heading towards the second clash of the season with Kildare.
"We beat Kildare handy enough when we met in the play-for-points round of the league down there but that doesn't give us any upper-hand for the semi-final," insists Stephen whose goal was taken with coolness and precision against Kerry. It was a goal of the 'golden' variety that gave Tyrone a launching pad for their amazing comeback.
"When we met Kildare in Division Two season we beat them but then, when we met them again in the divisional final, they beat us. That's worth remembering. Just because we have already had a win against them doesn't give us any ideas that we should repeat that victory," he warns.
Whatever about the outcome, O'Neill welcomes the semi-final place and he welcomes a return to Croke Park.
"It is the place everyone wants to play in," he says. "Even if the stands were empty I would still regard playing in Croke Park with relish.
"Also, this is another game for us before our championship clash with the reigning All-Ireland champions (Donegal) and, hopefully, we will have another game in the league final. The extras matches are very important in the lead-up to the championship.
"I'm sure that Donegal will be sitting back analysing us against Kildare and also if we get to the final. Of course, there is not much we don't know about each other, at this stage. But first things first and it is Kildare that we are concentrating on this week.
"They may have lost on Sunday last and we may have beaten them already in the league but that makes no difference. They will be difficult to beat and we have got to be at our best, not like the way we played in first half against Kerry."
With the closing stages of the National Football and Hurling Leagues, club and colleagues' championships, camogie and ladies' football activity plus the closing stages in the O'Neill's All-Ireland 40x20 Handball Championships all on the menu last month, there was a lot of choice for the UGAAWA Merit Award.
However, the contributions that Stephen O'Neill made to bringing Tyrone to the league semi-finals and the way that he eases his younger forward colleagues into the senior side gave him the edge over the likes of goalkeeper Niall Morgan and Monaghan's Conor McManus, with strong claims also from Michael Murphy and Neil McManus.
"It is brilliant to be selected the winner for March with so much activity during the month and I thank the Ulster GAA Writers for granting me the honour," said Stephen when receiving the award at a function in Quinn's Corner. It is his fifth time to be named the winner since his first for January 2005.
The 32-year-old Killyclogher schoolteacher receives an inscribed Belleek Living Vase, hand crafted silver cuff links from Omeath jeweller Garrett Mallon, training gear from O'Neill's International Sports and a sports voucher from the UGAAWA as his award. He will also get two tickets and overnight accommodation for the writers' 26th annual banquet next November.