McAnulla to Start for Tyrone

Saturday 20.03.2010

Club

Mickey Harte has made five changes to his side for the national football league assignment against Galway this weekend.

John Devine, Ciaran Gourley, Joe McMahon, Colm McCullagh and debutant Jason McAnulla replace Johnny Curran, Cathal McCarron, Mark Donnelly, Eoin McCusker and Owen Mulligan.

Sean Cavanagh, meanwhile, is named again on the substitutes bench after making his much anticipated return to county action when he came on as second half substitute in Tyrone’s win over Cork.

While the 2008 Footballer of the year looked rusty there is no doubt that his return to action was a huge physiological boost to the Ulster champions as they picked up their first league points.

Cavanagh’s last Tyrone game had ironically been against the rebels in last summer’s All Ireland semi final when much was written about the reasons why he didn’t start that match but after ankle surgery at the end of last year he is just glad to be back in action.

“I was delighted just to pull the jersey back on again”, stated Sean.

“When you have been out for six or seven months it’s fantastic to be among the team again and to register our first win of the campaign because it was badly needed.

I have only been back in full training for a week and a half. I have had two training sessions and two Ulster league games for Moy. That’s just four outings and it doesn’t really make much of a start to the year.

It’s a massive step up to pull on the county jersey again and I suppose I’m a work in progress at the minute. I know where I have to be to get up to county level again and I know were I want to be and that’s championship pace.

I have a good eight weeks training ahead of me and hopefully I will get a few minutes here and there in the league and fingers crossed will be able to help the team. A lot of the guys showed against Cork that the potential is there and we just need to keep working hard and I’m sure we will pick up a few more points.”