McConnell: Future is bright for Tyrone

Sunday might yet have marked his last time in a Tyrone jersey but goalkeeper Pascal McConnell as well as fellow veteran Seán Cavanagh are convinced there are bigger days ahead for the team.

“It’s a season we’ve learned so much,” said McConnell. “We’ve played a lot of games of this season, I think we’ve played 20 games over the season. So there’s a lot of learning to be taken from that, especially for the younger boys who are still finding their feet. There’s a lot of boys in their first and second seasons and there’s a lot of learning in those years. The lesson there will be invaluable for them and they’ll be better for the experience.”

Cavanagh is also confident about the future despite their All-Ireland SFC semi-final defeat to Mayo. The Division 1 final appearance, not to mention their recovery from losing to Donegal, has made 2013 a relatively successful year for the team.

Cavanagh reasoned: “You’re looking around the dressing room and you have Darren McCurry in there, he’s maybe 19, Conor McAliskey, he’s only 20, Mattie Donnelly, 21, Ryan McKenna, Conor Clarke (are all young lads).

“The majority of that team is very young. There’s the bones of a really good team and if we can pick ourselves up next year, you just don’t know (what can be achieved).

“We obviously have to learn from this, the younger guys will probably learn from it more than we will, and I think they’ll do well in the years to come.”

McConnell probably wouldn’t have started the defeat to Mayo but for Niall Morgan’s early season injury.

The three-time All-Ireland winner will take time out to contemplate his career. “I suppose it’s a decision maybe for another day. But I’ve had a great time, some fantastic ups and a lot of downers too, which makes you enjoy the high points when you get them. I’ll just think long and hard, play a bit of club football now and back to the club championship. That’s the priority now and then I’ll sit down and have a wee think about it over the winter.

“There’s no doubt there are fellas there now champing at the bit in the goalkeeping position. It’s in safe hands there with Niall Morgan and Mickey O’Neill, so that’s good to know. So I’ll think about it and see how it goes.”

Cavanagh should be back but won’t be making any hasty decisions. “I don’t want to think about the next time I kick a ball. I’ll see how it goes, it’s obviously very hard now, you have young children and what-not. I’ll take the next couple of months and play a bit of club football and see how I go. It’s a big commitment, as it always is.”

However, he anticipates the likes of McConnell, Stephen O’Neill and Conor Gormley, all 33 this year, could now step aside.

“Teams always evolve and we always thought that whenever Peter Canavan left there was going to be no team yet we went back and did it in ’08.

“We have lost that many leaders over the last four or five years and people questioned whether we would get back to this stage and we have.

“We’re still going strong, there always is quality footballers in Tyrone, and we have belief in ourselves. I wouldn’t be too worried about the 2014 or ‘15 season because there are some fantastic players. We’re always going to lose some of the big name players but there’s always the opportunity for somebody to step up.”

Cavanagh insisted that the Joe Brolly tirade had no effect on his focus or preparation for the game. “It didn’t have an effect whatsoever. If anything, it almost tends to push you on wee bit harder.”