By Michael McMullan

FOREGLEN head into this year’s “competitive” Derry Intermediate Championship with a possible double on the cards.

In a season when they only lost to Greenlough, their draw away to Castledawson on the final day was enough to secure the league title.

With Derry CCC’s new format of detaching relegation and promotion via the league, it gave all teams room to tinker with their selections and formations.

“We wanted to get used to way of playing and trying different people and different things,” insists Oisin Duffy, the anchor in the O’Brien’s’ defence.

“It wasn’t a goal at the start of the year to win the league, it wasn’t something we had planned on doing but obviously we didn’t go out to get beat in any games.”

There is a winning feel to their management team this season, with 2019 winning boss Damien O’Connor still in charge. He has been joined by Paddy Downey, an Ulster Club winner with Bellaghy, who steered Foreglen to the 2013 title.

They are joined by Brian Campbell, Niall McTaggart and Paul Hargan in a management team preparing for a tilt at championship which will swing into life next month.

There is a familiar core to the Foreglen side, with no retirements since last year.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries, but if Kevin (O’Connor) is still there, nobody can retire,” Duffy jokes of the presence of the star man at the head of Foreglen’s attack.

They have been without defender Conrad Sheerin and midfielder Mark McCormick for swathes of the season, but they’ve added to the squad.

“Darren O’Kane is back from Australia and that is a great boost for us,” Duffy said. “We have wee Tiarnan O’Connor coming in from minor and is now old enough to play.

“Séa Watson is there too. He hasn’t broke onto the senior team just yet, he had an injury at the start of the year, but he was a great underage player and he trained with us last year. They are a great help to us. Cahir O’Connor has been great for the last number of years and there is Liam Downey.

“He is a great player and when we were struggling for a minor team, he spent a year playing underage for Bellaghy.”

The Derry Championships are once again organised in a group format. Foreglen have been paired with last year’s Junior champions Desertmartin, Limavady, Castledawson and Faughanvale.

The top three team in each group advance to the quarter-finals, with the bottom two playing off for the final places and the loser relegated to Division Three for 2023.

It is set to thicken up next year with four teams coming down from the Senior Championship.

“It is going to be more difficult to win,” Duffy said of next season. “If we don’t win it this year, we will be going out to win it next year, but you’d imagine one of the four teams coming down will win it.”

Duffy lists all the teams in Foreglen’s group as contenders.

“There will be a few who will think if everything goes right for them, they can do aright in it and if they get to the latter stages, then anything can happen.

“Limavady got to the semi-final and they will be thinking they can win it and we always struggle with them, so I have no doubt it will be a competitive championship.”