Messages

So Midnightcaller, if you were in Carrickmore changing rooms are you a player?

Carrickmore played very well last night but i would be worried aboutthe amount of chances they missed. Coalisland should have been out of sight at half time instead of being level at 0-3 each. Kevin Gormley and Kieran McCartan in the full backline were outstanding while the halfback line was its usual strong self. Indeed Curly McAleer was replace at half time, i assume injured, but Paul Hughes is a fairly good replacememnt in any team. It is a real testiment to our younger lads that he is being kept out of the team. Up front Kevin McNally was outstanding while Brendan Martin was excellent as well. How many men could play brilliantly in corner back one week and excell in top of the left the next. Errigal will win this years championship at a canter me thinks!

All this talk of reseve championships: My brother told me that Carrickmore (not sure of the years) were forced to play reseve championship finals the night before senior championship games against teams who were already eliminated from the senior championship. On both occasions players played in both games, i know Raymond Munroe and Barry McElduff were two, but there were others. Carmen were beat in the senior games on both occasions. Slaves would not be at it. If the county board though anything of the players Ardboe and Clonoe would have had no senior league game this weekend. Dungannon were good enough to change their game with Clonoe to Thursday night so i think that Dromore must take a share of the blame here too.

I tell you what, that is a big win forErrigal yesterday minus their top three defenders! I said it from day one, and i am even more convinced of it now, that they will win the championship at a canter.

I am expecting a cracker at Carmen on Friday night when the island come to town. A thing that has impressed me about Carmen since being dumped out of the championship is the versatilty within the team. I would say that their is 5-6 lads who could play anywhere from 2-15 and this will be tested against the pace setters Na Fianna. A Carrickmore player was taunted in a Dungannon establishment three weeks ago by a Coalisland PLAYER, that Carmen were finished and no one feared them anymore. Expect the first ten minute to hold a few big hits

Phphearse, are you looking forward to this contest tomorrow evening? I know Carmen cant wait to get it over to get preparing for Coalisland this night week. Galbally have put up some good shows in Carmen in recent years without gaining any reward. I would say that they fancy their chances big time this year especially with Conor Gormley, Gaby and Michael McCallan as well as Colm McGurk missing.

Loughshore lad as much as i tend to agree with most things you say,I honest think this whole Coalisland hype is getting rediculous. If Errigal get over Donaghmore then they Will, in my opinion, have to much for them in the senior championship. A good minor team is fair enough but it has no real significance on senior football. The U21 championship has not even started yet and already Coalisland are said to be invinsible. Three years ago my club won the minor, senior and u21 titles in one year and several people said Carmen will win round them for the next 5 years. It never happened. I though the only people talking about Coalisland in this way was there own supporters. Killyclogher have no earn in the next round according to them.

Loughshore lad, In response to your question I have never heard anyone from Carrickmore speaking poorly of Roger. Sure he led them to a title. Watching the game I did find some of his team selections strange though. To me he seems like a whole hearted honest guy.
Any yes the two McAleers are brothers. Would you not know to look at them.

Then the consequence of this is that the ladies championship game between Errigal and Carmen was more physical than the Carmen Ardboe game on Sunday. It was a borefest as both teams were terrified to even tackle. Carrickmore had two players sent off against Donaghmore for virtually nothing , 1 being a shoulder charge and then Sean Cavanagh gets the same punishment for a shoulder on Sunday and you can see why people are in uproar. You cant expect players to watch Tyrone go out on Sundays and tackle hard in numbers and the nmen get sent off for the same tackle in a club game

Donal Dorman and this likes of this idiot you talking about that sent Sean off are getting Tyrone football a bad name. Ronan McSherrys comments in the Monday Herald have without doubt got some truth but he should not be tarnishing clubs who get players sent off for incidents that are not even fouls. Egomanaics the whole of them

On yesterdays game, if Ardboe play like that every week without missing players they will have no problems. I can not believe Cookstown beat them. Ardboe lads, do you think you will be better of without Roger Keenan.
I think that Ciaran McAleer is the best centre half back in club football at the minutes. He was outstanding again yesterday.

We got three straight reds alright and even Donaghmore people were disgusted by two of them. I would be very worried going to Ardboe on Sunday. A team with a new managment set up is often hard to beat and i have a feeling it will be a fresh young Ardboe team chomping at the bit for a victory. Someone told me that it is eight years since Carmen has had seven league wins on the trot so this year there is a different emphasis after the championship defeat so this is a big one. I have a feeling this game will be under scrutiny cause these two teams would not be really well though of in parts of Tyrone!

We have suspension problems as well. Colm McGurk, Mickey McCallan and Kevin McCartan got straight reds against Donaghmore. As far as i know Gaby McCallan is on honeymoon (although not 100% sure) and Ronan McNally is said to be injured. On the plus side Gormley returns.

Fionntamhnach, I was talking to a Loughmacrory man after the ladies game in Beragh and he said that result would bring ladies football on greatly over the next few years with Carmen finished and out of the way for a few years. I repeated this to a friend of mine, who to be honest has a greater insight into ladies football and he promply offered to take any bet against Carrickmore winning the championship back next year at any odds! He said that Eilish Gormley and Lynette Hughes were only training for a short time and where not fit, Connie Fox would be back in a month, Eleanor Fox likewise, allied to the fact that he thinks the managment stayed a year to long, selecting relatives etc before people that should be starting.
As a nuetral, what is your honest opinion- are they finished or was the undefeated run bound to end?

Orangeman, who are Arbdoes suspended men at present?

Mr Harkin will get no sympathy in my part of the world. Last year after Carmen played Dromore in the championship, the Dromore supporters tried to get at the referee after the game. Aodhan tried to protect the referee when he was knocked to the ground. Peter Loughran, who was not on the field with the rest of the Carrickmore players and supporters celebrating because of injury intervened and helped Harkin to his feet. He subsequently got a six month suspension. He would have been back playing by now but his appetite for the game has gone because of this incident.

rrhf you are right you did not see the incidents- because there were not any! It was without doubt the worst display of refereeing i have every seen. Carmen has 3 stright reds, in the 14min, in the 32min and in the 65min. The last, Colm McGurk, was for what everyone in the crowd classed as a good shoulder. Even the super cool Dom Corrigan was enraged as he encroached onto the field of play to remonstrate.
Carrickmore did play quite last night though and missed a complete fortune of stuff in the first half. The defence really seems really uncompromising with Dan giving about his fifth man of the match performance in a row. Kevy Mac seems to be coming back to form. Although he was well shackled last night, Nial McGinn showed some real class touches. Rrhf, is Robbo carrying a bit of extra flesh? Is Darren Cush making the team all the time?

Like rrhf i think Errigal will win the championship, and at a canter. They always improve as the championship goes on and with Carmen out of the way they will fear no one.
Orangeman i would not be to sure about Donaghmore beating Carmen tomorrow night. Just cause they beat Ardboe does not mean they are world beaters you know. I think that if the statistic are checked, Carmen probably have the strongest defensive record in the league and a resuffle since the championship deteat has seen them take eight from eight. In these games i think they conceded 1-4, 0-10, 1-4 and 0-7

Carrickmore and Aghyaran was a rough affair yesterday. It took a late goal for Carrickmore to win it. The collaspe i expected from Carmen when they went out of the championship has not happened. Our defence is conceeding very little at the moment. Not to many of those playing have league medals so the emphasis seems to be to treat every league game as a championship game at the minute. The game against Donaghmore is now on Wednesday night to facilitate Gaby McCallan who gets married to A Dromore woman on Friday. That should be a quiet affair! (not)