Scullion takes positives from defeat

Enda Lynn of Derry and Mattie Donnelly of Tyrone

Derry assistant manager Tony Scullion felt Saturday's McKenna Cup final extra-time defeat to Tyrone was ideal preparation for the upcoming Allianz League.

Despite Brendan Rogers requiring 14 stitches to a facial gash and the excellent Enda Lynn sustaining a broken ankle, Scullion insisted that the positives outweighed the negatives.

"You can train seven days a week, but that will beat any training session 10 times over," he said in the Irish News.

"It was absolutely brilliant, but I am just disappointed with our injuries. We need everybody available for us in the League. That's where you need depth to the panel. There were a number of lads there making their debut for Derry. When Damian [Barton] came in here to take the team he said that.

"Everyone was welcomed to come to trials in Owenbeg and we had a number of weekends of trials  and clubs sent a number of players they thought were good enough for the Oak Leaf jersey."

Scullion launched a stout defence of the Derry manager who declined to speak to the media after being sent to the stand for getting involved in a second half incident.

"Whatever happened on the line, Damian Barton is there for the love of the game. He is a great Derry man," the 1993 All-Ireland winning corner back added.