Laverty positive ahead of Dr McKenna Cup

DOWN captain Pierce Laverty believes the improvement and lessons from last season can put them in strong footing as the Bank Of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup campaign approaches.

Down face Derry in Group B in Owenbeg on Saturday (January 6) at 6pm, before welcoming Cavan to Pairc Esler seven nights later.

“I think it's great to have competitive games ahead of the league so I suppose if you can get as far as the last day you can have some great competitive games two weeks ahead of your first league game. Nothing beats football for preparing,” Pierce said.

“It's two very competitive games in the run up to the league, a Division One team and a Division Two team, what more can you ask for really.

“There's so much we can take away from last year. We were obviously disappointed not to get promoted and not to win the Tailteann Cup, but those two games in the league where we fell short and that Tailteann Cup final, there's so much we can take out of it to apply into this year and so much learning you can take out of it, so the mood is good in the camp.

“Obviously, the final last year was massively disappointing but I suppose it gives you that wee taste of what success can be when you nearly get there. That we taste sort of drives you on and every man wants to go again. The next day you want to play again but play better. I think that's definitely what motivates us.”

Down boss Conor Laverty added the much sought after Ciaran Meenagh to his already strong backroom team but star forward Barry O’Hagan is still a few months away from playing, while it’s expected flux of new players will get a chance to impress over the next fortnight. Promotion from Division Three is the big target for the first half of inter-county season with Down making the trip to Echelon Park in Aughrim to face Wicklow on opening round on Sunday, January 28, while next up will be Limerick coming to Pairc Esler on Saturday under the lights, on February 3, at 6pm.

“He's [Meenagh] obviously won back-to-back Ulster titles with Derry so I suppose he brings that bit of experience to the panel. And it's always good to have an outside view sometimes, so we'll see what he brings to the table for us this year,” Laverty said.

“I suppose every team wants to bleed in a few new players – younger players and maybe boys back from injury and that, but I suppose you still want to be winning matches. If you can win every McKenna Cup game, happy days, you're in a good place for going into the National League, so we'll be going out to win every game of course or trying to win it anyway. I suppose everybody tries to put that sort of emphasis on it. Nobody goes out to try to lose a game, so we'll be going out with that attitude towards every game this year.”

“I think it's great to get everybody getting a bit of football under their belt. Maybe a lot of boys have been out of club football for six, seven, eight weeks, or maybe even longer. I know myself I've been out longer than that, so it's good to get them back on the field and playing competitive football and that's what you want.”

Laverty has been a key leader off the pitch and player on the pitch, his pace is rarely matched and he has done a good marking job on many of the top attackers. Having been dodged by injuries before he has benefited from 12 months injury free and that’s what he hopes for again although he insists, he isn’t expecting the jersey to be handed to him.

“I'm grand at the minute – injury free, so I hope so, but you have to still earn your spot. You're not going to just roll into the first 15 again, you have to earn your jersey and then hang onto it and I suppose that's the message for everybody,” said Laverty.

“If you get a jersey hang onto it and see how long you can keep it. If you can keep it till the end of the year you're going well.”