Mark Lynch says the Derry players owed it to manager Damian Barton to up their game after their disappointing Ulster SFC first round exit at the hands of Tyrone.

Lynch has been one of the Oak Leafers' star performers in their exciting All-Ireland SFC qualifier run which has so far yielded wins over Louth, Meath and Cavan. Another victory over beaten Munster finalists Tipperary tomorrow will earn them an All-Ireland quarter-final spot.

"Damian took a lot of flak [after the Tyrone defeat] and he took it personally. The players knew he could do nothing because he wasn't on the pitch," the Banagher attacker told the Irish News.

"We're the boys that didn't perform. He can only do so much. He's a loyal Derryman like the rest of the management team. We owe him a lot and we continue to owe him."

Lynch recalls not knowing how Derry would respond to the Tyrone defeat.

"I felt disappointed because I knew there was a good team there and it wasn't worthy of that performance against Tyrone," he continued.

"But you never know until you step out again what the reaction is going to be. Luckily for us, it's been a good one. We've got a couple of wins under our belt now but we just have to go again. We can't dwell on it.

"We've won nothing. We've got another victory to push us on and we have another chance to win again in the Derry shirt."

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