A rare example of original thinking

A BRILLIANT thing happened in The Athletic Grounds last Saturday night. It was the type of occurrence that even those who watch a lot of football rarely ever get to see — a county manager actually did something original.

During the build-up to the game there was little to suggest that we were going to be treated to anything new or exciting. When a few players started thumping at each other it was very much the standard fare that you expect from the Sperrin derby between Derry and Tyrone.

And when it emerged that Mickey Harte had picked a team that included seven defenders (Aidan McCrory, Damian McCaul, PJ Quinn, Cathal McCarron, Ryan McMenamin, Martin Swift, and Conor Gormley), the pattern for the game seemed to have been set in stone.