Gourley enjoying life back inside the fold

IF TYRONE’S route back to the All-Ireland final has encountered peaks and troughs, then Ciarán Gourley’s personal journey has had a similar theme.

Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final success over Wexford, saw the Rock clubman line out at left corner-back but his place in the Tyrone side has never had permanency to it.

When Tyrone lost out in a cracking Ulster quarter-final replay against Down back in June, Gourley manned the centre-back position. But in the culling that followed that defeat, he was one of the first victims. The early qualifier rounds against Louth and Westmeath were days when he was on the bench, and it was not until the qualifier showdown with Mayo that Gourley won back a starting jersey.