By Michael McMullan

RELIEF was the main emotion for Chrissy McKaigue in the aftermath of Saturday’s win over Down in Derry’s first game in Division Two since April 2017.

The skipper is now in his 13th season of inter-county and has played in all four divisions of the league since Paddy Crozier gave him his debut in a one-point defeat in the 2008 All-Ireland Qualifiers against Monaghan in Clones.

McKaigue said there was massive trust to include himself, Shane McGuigan and Brendan Rogers a week after Sleacht Néill’s All-Ireland hurling defeat against Ballygunner.

“I’m just glad to get a win,” McKaigue told Gaelic Life. “It was no mean feat to go back out there tonight and to have no preparation for the intensity of that type of game.

“Rory showed a lot of faith in me, Shane and Brendan to play us. It is great when the manager trusts you that much.”

McKaigue said the nerves coming into Saturday stemmed from not having a football through his hands. He also referenced the first game of the league is nervy every year and two points leaves a much happier camp.

McKaigue held Down top scorer Barry O’Hagan to a converted free and described his side as “solid enough” defensively.

“The league is all about that kind of momentum. It was more the relief of winning the game and getting the two points and you can focus on Offaly with a bit more self-belief.”

In the week coming up to the game, the Derry camp were aware of the situation two years ago when they dropped a point at home to Leitrim before losing to Down in Páirc Esler which all but ended any promotion hopes.

“It is like any division, if you don’t take care of the first couple of games, the mentality shifts from being the hunter to being the hunted,” said McKaigue, referring to how the county were in a dark place two years ago.

“We talk about it now and again,” said the Oakleafers’ skipper. “The shambles we were two years ago in comparison to now, although we have so much work to do.

“That mentality of winning, it was far from perfect tonight but it was comfortable. It is not a bad place to be.

“We didn’t perform that overly well, but we won the game against a decent side relatively comfortably. The difference the Rory has made in two and half years has been unbelievable.”

While McKaigue is the longest serving player, he also said it was also a show of faith from the management to had league debuts to Lachlan Murray and Matthew Downey, who played on the 2020 All-Ireland Minor winning team.

“I think this county, at the minute, is in a really good place,” he said, highlighting the standard at school and club level.

“Everything is starting to come together well. There is starting to be a feel good factor in the county fortunately again. There are going to be hard days, that’s the way sport is. People are starting to realise there is potential in the county again.”

McKaigue made his debut within a year of being vice-captain of the minor team beaten by Galway in the 2007 All-Ireland final and can see the benefit playing Division Two football will have on the crop of new playing coming into the panel.

“I know people talk about Division One as being the place to be,” he said. “The best three of four teams in Division Two, there is not that much difference to Division One, barring the likes of Tyrone, Dublin and Kerry potentially.

“If you are going to be in the top 10 teams in the country, it is going to be hard going,” he said, stating that it was the perfect place for Derry’s newcomers to cut their teeth.

“They are the future and they are getting some environment to learn in and hopefully we can push on.”