AFFAIR OF THE HARTE
Ben: Mark will want me to do well.. even if it is against his dad
BALLINDERRY goalkeeper Ben Mckinless expects to have his club boss backing him when he makes his Ulster SFC debut against Tyrone tomorrow.
But that support may have its limits, because his club manager is Mark Harte (inset) – son of Tyrone boss Mickey. When it comes to the Derry v Tyrone derby, Ballinderry is at the epicentre of the rivalry. Straddling the neighbours’ border, it’s one of Derry’s premier clubs with 11 county titles and were crowned All-ireland champions in 2002. Yet they have a strong Tyrone influence and this year are managed by Errigal Ciaran duo Mark Harte and Adrian O’donnell. Mckinless said: “There is plenty of rivalry in Ballinderry, with people supporting Tyrone or Derry. It livens it up, with people going for you and against you. “We have Tyrone managers and a lot of the players support Tyrone, so it makes things interesting. “Things are a bit strange there I suppose. “Mickey is coming up against you on the Sunday but Mark is with you all year, so you have to manage what you say about Tyrone! “To be fair, Mark focuses on Ballinderry and Ballinderry alone. “He wants to see his own players do well both in Ballinderry and in Derry but he wants to see his father Mickey doing well too with Tyrone.” Mckinless is just out of minor football but has earned the trust of Oak Leaf manager Damian Barton. Disappointed with his imminent demotion to the bench, former No.1 Thomas Mallon quit the panel in recent weeks, heaping more pressure on Mckinless. The 19-year-old seems to have the presence to handle it though. He said: “It’s a big day in the GAA calendar, the start of the Ulster Championship and it doesn’t get any bigger where we’re from than playing Tyrone. “Of course they’re a good side so it will be tough, but I’m excited about it. It’s a great opportunity so early in my career.” Mckinless is one of three Derry players making their Championship debuts at Celtic Park, along with cornerback Niall Keenan and corner-forward Danny Tallon. The team named yesterday is hugely changed from last year, when Derry were on the receiving end of an 11-point drubbing by the Red Hands in the same fixture. The home side have up to a dozen players from that day who have either made themselves unavailable or are injured. Barton has been hit by a number of withdrawals this year, with Mallon and Slaughtneil midfielder Padraig Cassidy the latest to leave the panel. As it stands, only six of the team who started that 3-14 to 0-12 first round defeat are included in the 15 for tomorrow. Charlie Kielt is a surprise inclusion on the bench, having not been part of the panel until several weeks ago. Influential attacker Mark Lynch is also on the bench, having struggled with injuries in the spring. VERDICT: Tyrone