Top marksman Harte sets his sights on Rangers

ON the bus down to Dublin, as St Mary’s focused on the game with Waterford IT, a game which offered the Belfast teacher-training college the chance of a Sigerson weekend for the first time in five years, Mark Harte travelled as a spectator.

Five days before his biggest game since the under-age glory years with Tyrone, Harte wasn’t going to risk injury for a Sigerson Cup game. It wasn’t what Paddy Tally, the Mary’s manager, needed. He had lost his

other star player, Ronan Clarke, to a groin strain. And now Harte. They reached a deal. If Mary’s got a penalty in the last minute, a vital penalty, would Harte come on and take it. The Errigal Ciaran star agreed, believing such a turn of events were, at the very least, highly unlikely.

But, with the game inching towards injury-time and the sides level, Mary’s got their penalty. Harte came on and scored the decisive goal, following it up with a point. He was on the field three minutes and was the top scorer of a disappointing game.

Though he was the hero who took Mary’s to Cork, Harte will be hoping he plays no role in the Sigerson weekend. After all, if he leads his college’s attack in UCC, that will mean Nemo Rangers, and not Errigal Ciaran, will be preparing for an All-Ireland final.

“Yeah, I say this with the best possible intentions, but I hope I don’t play any part in Cork. It was great to come on and score the penalty, because it was so frustrating to watch from the side-lines. But, my primary target has to be, and will always be, with my club,” says Harte, son of the Errigal and Tyrone manager Mickey Harte.

Harte has been one of the starlets to emerge from the Tyrone conveyor belt in recent years and, while it has taken him longer to blossom than the likes of Stephen O’Neill and Eoin Mulligan, his scoring exploits with Errigal have placed him in the forefront of Northern minds in the past six months. The lively attacker is one of seven Errigal players on the Tyrone panel, though they took a decision three weeks ago to leave the panel until the club campaign finished.

“We just decided the time was right for each of us to concentrate on the club. Actually, being with the county helped us enormously, because it helped sustain some of the momentum that might have been lost with the winter break.

“I am sure Nemo feel the same way. The break is tough on clubs, and when it comes to All-Ireland semi-finals, a lot of it has to do with who winters the best, who keeps the spirit and momentum in the squad. To be honest, it almost feels like a new season.”

Although, Nemo are the standard in club football, with six All-Ireland titles, their last came a decade ago following a facile win over Castlebar Mitchels. That campaign is also remarkable for being the last time Nemo and Errigal met in competitive action.

While Crossmaglen may have eclipsed Nemo in recent years, the latter still holds a special place for anyone involved with a club, as Harte is well aware. “They are the yard-stick for any club side, they come out of Munster almost every year and you just have to look at the great names who have played with Nemo in the last thirty years. It is like a who’s who of Cork football.

“So, if you set yourself the goal of winning the All-Ireland, it is almost a given you are going to run into Nemo at some stage. I know Ballinderry beat them last year but that will only make Nemo more determined this time out. And just because we beat Ballinderry, that means very little.”

Although there remains a couple of players struggling with injuries, there is a confidence bubbling through this Ciaran side since they defeated Crossmaglen last November. After so long watching other Ulster teams capture the crown, Errigal are determined to have their moment in the sun,

especially before their talisman Peter Canavan calls it a day.

But, as Mark Harte reminds himself before going off to celebrate with his college: “They don’t come any bigger than Nemo Rangers.” By extension, therefore, they don’t fall any harder.