CON HEIR TO THE THRONE IN DERRY
Div 1 final: Dublin v
WITH three goals in four League games, Conor Mccluskey has been on fire this spring. Not bad for a corner-back, in so much as they exist any more at this level.
Dublin are certainly well warned. It was Mccluskey — nicknamed ‘Clucky’ — who hit Derry’s only major against them at Celtic Park in Round Five of the League.
You can be fairly sure that Paddy Small, who didn’t see his blindside run, has been shown that video clip by the Dubs management.
When it opened up against Mayo, with Mccluskey he only had one thing on his mind. Against Monaghan in this year’s League he showed nice skill to dummy Jack Mccarron with a two-handed show before another left foot laces finish. Derry’s three goals against Monaghan all came from defenders — Mccluskey, Padraig Mcgrogan and Conor Doherty. For a defender, Mccluskey has an uncanny knack of rarely messing up where plenty of backs would close their eyes, hit it hard and hope.
“Conor Mccluskey wasn’t a goal king throughout his career, but he got three in three different games,” said Derry boss Mickey Harte.
“So it just shows you that it can be done if people start to believe that, ‘I need to be a footballer first and foremost. I need to work on all the skills of the game, my defensive side, attacking side, vision side, running side, everything.’
“You have to work on both sides of your body. You have got to work on everything because it is going to take complete footballers now to make a good team.”
Eoin Mcevoy (inset, with Mccluskey) joined the act this spring, with a goal against
Galway. Six out of Derry’s 13 goals in this year’s Division One have come from defenders — that’s nearly one per game.
On top of this, Mccluskey is one of the top man markers in the game. He could be given a man marking job on in-form Colm Basquel. It would be a battle to savour.