Mallon expects the unexpectedfrom Donegal

Saturday: Clones, 7pm

It’s a sign of the times when a goalkeeper can pick up the man-of-the-match award without having made a single save.

Thomas Mallon was that man after earning rave reviews for his precision kickouts in Derry’s Ulster championship win over Down in Celtic Park three weeks ago.

Expectations of what the modern goalkeeper’s role entails have changed dramatically in recent years, and Mallon regards himself as a keen student of Dublin’s Stephen Cluxton and Donegal’s Paul Durcan, whom he faces in tomorrow night’s Ulster SFC semi-final in Clones.

“As a goalkeeper now, and to play at this high standard, that’s what you’re expected to do, you’re expected to hit these nice passes 40, 50 yards into boys’ chests,” said Mallon.

“When I watch matches, I would usually analyse what way teams are structured against kickouts.

“When I started goalkeeping at U14 level, it was all about fancy saves.

“But Cluxton has taken goalkeeping to a whole new level and he is the master. I still regard myself as the apprentice but I aspire to be as good as him.

“In fairness to Durcan, he is fantastic as well. The way he can run up to a ball straight, and then jink at the last second whether to kick it right or left.

“Personally, it was great to get man of the match the last day, but it’s the boys out the field who are making the intelligent runs into space for the kickouts or taking the catches.” Mallon will be trying hard to avoid the spectre of Michael Murphy in Clones tomorrow night, irrespective of where the Donegal captain is positioned on the field.

The Loup netminder is backing the Derry midfielders to hold their own against Murphy, Neil Gallagher and co, but accepts it’s inevitable that Murphy will loom large on his radar, one way or the other.

“With Donegal you’re going to have to expect the unexpected.

“Murphy could be in beside me at full-forward or playing out the field.

“It’s the exactly the same with Neil Gallagher.

“The rotation in their squad is unbelievable so it’s one thing we’re going to have to set ourselves up for and be ready for that.”

Armagh opted not to send a man out to follow Murphy when he roamed deep, and it backfired, with the 2012 All-Ireland winning skipper able to dictate terms and control the game.

It’s safe to assume Derry won’t be following suit. We have to try and do a bit better than Armagh.

“We have big men around the middle like Fergal Doherty so if the short kickout isn’t on, we fancy ourselves with the likes of Fergal and Niall Holly around the middle.

“You don’t really want to crowd that area too much though, because the less bodies in there the better. You want a bit of green grass to kick the ball into.” The first round win over Down was Mallon’s first championship victory, and he doesn’t want to go through his inter-county career with a sense the team has under-achieved.

It’s been Derry’s plight for so long, with club football usually taking the priority in a football-mad county. Derry as a county definitely should have done a lot more, and won a lot more.

“The calibre of players in club football in the county in the last 10 or 15 years has been astonishing. You only have to look at Derry clubs’ record in Ulster but it doesn’t always seem to filter through to county.

“For the likes of Fergal Doherty and Mark Lynch and Patsy Bradley, they are absolutely brilliant footballers who deserve to have won an Ulster championship.

“The hard work they have put in 24/7, they deserve to be recognised and the only way for you to be recognised is with medals.

“Obviously nobody is going to fancy us against Donegal, but in our camp we are confident within ourselves.

“We feel we have the players and as long as we’re confident among ourselves, then what happens outside of that is not a concern to us.”