Derry seeking their redemption in Armagh

All-Ireland SFC Round One | Derry v Armagh | Saturday, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, 5pm

Seven weeks will have passed since their Ulster Championship exit by the time Derry run out at the home of the All-Ireland champions Armagh on Saturday evening.

Seven weeks in the long grass. Time to reflect. Time to pick through a league season that plundered into relegation.

For manager Paddy Tally and his management team, it will have been time to breathe.

Coming in at the last minute, they stepped into a whirlwind of games without a proper pre-season. Division One is an unforgiving place for transition.

Add Chrissy McKaigue’s retirement to fellow All-Star defenders Gareth McKinless and Conor McCluskey being out of the equation. Odhrán Lynch’s injury leading to a chopping and changing in the number one jersey.

Throw it all together and you get a season of fits and starts. A performance that should’ve beaten Kerry. They pulled a Donegal defeat from the jaws of victory in Ballyshannon.

As for the championship, they looked composed for long spells. Dáire Ó Baoill landed two pointers to open a gap.

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Brendan Rogers and Conor Doherty kicked two pointers but Derry began to force shots. With that, it drained confidence and Jim McGuiness oversaw a Donegal cruise towards the first step of another Ulster Championship.

Derry have played challenge games, including runouts against Cork and Monaghan to keep themselves ticking over.

Anton Tohill is back in the fold. Conor McCluskey is back running again. Saturday might be too soon for Odhrán Lynch’s torn quad from the Mayo game.

Lavey goalkeeper Louis Regan is back on the panel. There have been call ups from the U20 squad with Ruairí Forbes, Fionn McEldowney, Tommy Rogers and Danny McDermott all on board.

Perhaps the most important factor has been seven weeks away from the spotlight. Week on week games brings media attention and the pressure of clambering for league points.

The long grass allows a team to look in the mirror and take a proper stock check. In Derry’s case, it’s a chance to squeeze in a block of work they didn’t get done in pre-season.

This weekend brings a fresh start of sorts. And a chance to win a first game since last season’s victory over Westmeath in Páirc Esler.

They’ve a small matter of All-Ireland champions Armagh who also have a chip on their shoulder after failing to end their Ulster Championship famine.

Contrast

The contrast this weekend is the uncertainty versus consistency. Rarely do Armagh do anything other that take a game down to the closing minutes.

They’ve the strength in depth of having their panel players with more exposure from their season back in Division One.

Ross McQuillan, Jarly Óg Burns, Darragh McMullen and Callum O’Neill have more to offer.

They still have Stefan Campbell, Oisin O’Neill and Jemar Hall to give them something different. Add in Rian O’Neill’s return to the panel and the champions are well equipped for keeping their hands on Sam long into summer.

How far that is, well, that’s for another day. For now, it’s about Derry coming to their home patch.

Armagh took a lot from the hammering they dished out to Derry last summer when they were getting back on the horse after a second Ulster final penalty nightmare.

This time it’s Derry who are grappling around looking for any trace of light at the end of their dark 2025 tunnel.

League champions. Back-to-back Ulster champions not that long ago. While, there isn’t the same level of consistency, there is still a kick in them.

After Saturday, they’ve Galway and Dublin coming down the tracks. And Galway will have a kick after losing last weekend.

You get the feeling Derry need to get something from Saturday to give them a shot a redemption.