A familiar name will prowl the sidelines for the Tyrone ladies senior team next season after the appointment of a new senior football management team this week. Michaela O’Neill better known in her own inter county career as Michaela Doherty has taken over from Jimmy McCloughan.

The Omagh club stalwart who has played club football since the formation of the club scene in Tyrone is a vastly experienced player, coach, manager and ladies football tutor and will bring all that experience to the managers role which O’Nell will share with Kildress clubman Joe Gilligan.

Gilligan originally from South Derry has coached and managed in Tyrone for several years and the partnership is expected to offer the ladies game something different. There has however been eyebrows raised with the departure of Fintona man McCloughan, he had guided Tyrone to the all Ireland semi-final and had already plans in  place for 2008 but there had apparently been some underlying problems and McCloughan opted to call time on his short spell in charge. A spell described as one of Tyrone’s most successful. Its believed McCloughan will be returning to the men’s game at club level in 2008 but his contribution to the ladies game was commended by County chair Anne Marie Meehan,

“ Jimmy brought Tyrone to new heights in the Summer of 2007 and his contribution to Tyrone ladies football has been considerable, I wish him and his management team from the past year all the very best in whatever they do next and in the future.”

The new appointment came out of the blue though, there had been several names mentioned in dispatches over the past couple of weeks but O’Neill and her management team were by far the best around, its expected that a new coach and other staff are set to be on board shortly with trials due to start.

Speaking this week ahead of Sundays first trial the new manager spoke of her delight in getting started and outlined the plans she and her team have,

“ It’s a clean slate for everyone, we are holding trials and we asked clubs to forward us names of potential players, the response has been good so far and we are really geared up for getting into action, its an exciting time for us all and that includes the players, we are familiar with plenty of the players involved over the past couple of years but this is a new start for everyone,”

The appointment of O’Neill, Gilligan and the new management team was confirmed by Anne Marie Meehan,

“ We have a new management team and its certainly is an exciting time for us all, I wish Michaela, Joe and the new team all the best of luck and we are confident that we can continue to progress”

O’Neill had a long distinguished career herself at both club and county level, she was a inter county senior and minor for several years as well as a very loyal servant of St Endas, in 2006 she joined Ciaran Woods as county minor manager and she has also assisted with the senior management of Omagh in the past as well as establish herself as one of the ladies games top tutors, “coaching the coaches” so to speak and putting together some top quality coaching programmes.

A wealth of talent and experience then behind the new Tyrone management team and O’Neill has the added advantage of knowing what’s out there in terms of footballing ability. Not only will she have played with and against the bulk of these players but she will also have mentored and coached many of the young guns coming through, the focus first of all though is getting the trials up and running as soon as possible.

The targets, well going one step further than in 2007 would be superb but its clear there’s still plenty of work to be one, that task though is in very very safe hands.

The County board have indicated that clubs MUST have here players lists for all trials in by Friday 30th ,no exceptions.