TYRONE LADIES AT SEASONS END
…………….And so another season of intercounty football came to an end for the senior footballers of Tyrone at Croke Park last Saturday, again its been a season of no silverware and the outing at headquarters wasn’t in the All Ireland final yet Tyrone, their management, players, mentors and followers can take something out of 2005.

At the start of the year John McAleer came on board, the genial Monaghan man who had guided the Farney County ladies through Ulster saw potential in the youthful Tyrone squad. 2004 had proved to be a major disappointment, we had secured a new sponsor in Strathroy Dairys but as far as on the field conquests the new look Ulster campaign was short lived, no silverware and an air of where to now.
Mc Aleer with Ryan “Ching”Cunningham set about pulling together a squad through the national league campaign, it wasn’t a clinical exercise and players came and went, unavailable players too meant that Tyrone would not set the league tables alight, though it proved to be a useful campaign with several new faces coming to the fore.
When the Ulster Championship started there was indeed a freshness about our new look side, players of note were still absent yet McAleer moved players around, filled the gaps and got us off to a winning start in the bright sunshine at Edendork.Down succumb to a double goal strike by Gemma Begley and the campaign was on.
A sucker punch against Monaghan came in the form of a injury time goal at Irvinestown, a two point victory was on the cards before Jenny Greenan crashed in the crucial goal, what difference that made to the whole year was later to be borne out.
A Tyrone win would have put Monaghan out and left the run out against Donegal just that…..a run out, a chance for the Tyrone side to change things around on the field with an Ulster final place secured. Instead the game against Donegal again at St Molaise Park was a winner take all tussle.
It proved though to be an entertaining affair, Tyrone stormed into a second half lead only to see the TirConal girls pull things around, in the end the sure shooting of Elish Gormley edged Tyrone home by three points. A so a semi-Final meeting was added to the clar and again the Irvinestown venue proved a happy hunting ground for Tyrone. A thriller too with a last gasp Gormley free securing the winning point 1-7 to 0-9, a pressure kick but no problem for the captain.

Tyrone in red then for the Ulster decider at Clones, all eyes on what many expected to be a classic, it wasn’t, the weather didn’t help matters and the bug that had affected Gormley before the previous Tuesdays semi-final was still around.The fatigue from the semi-final just five days prior to the Ulster showpiece was evident and it was a factor in the eventual downfall, not even a screamer of a long range Lynette Hughes goal managed to lift Tyrone and they went with a whimper beaten 2-8 to 1-6…..all in all a bad day at the home of Ulster football.

At least with a quarter final still on the cards spirits were soon up to scratch again and with Dublin the opponents there was an air of excitement, the buzz added too by the men drawing the Dubs too at the same stage.When the game was drawn at Croker three weeks ago immediately the notions of a championship double header was raised and as Barry Norman would say “ and why not”! After much negotiation and talk it was of course pencilled in for last Saturday at Croke Park.
Sadly bad luck befell the camp once more and on the park it wasn’t a game to remember, yet the occasion and experience will stand Tyrone in good stead for the future. This team will be back, the talent and ability is there the potential that brought John McAleer to Tyrone is very much there and with self belief continued quality preparation and just a hint of luck the illusive senior all Ireland crown is not far away.

Have the belief…..it will come.