Peter Harte is getting ready to play in his sixth Tyrone SFC final. He has lost more than he has won, but his sweet left foot has pulled Errigal Ciaran and Tyrone out of many sticky situations, and once again he has rescued the club with a vital intervention.
A glorious winner deep into stoppage time sent Errigal into a third successive county final, and a repeat of last year’s decider against Trillick.
But he didn’t feel the pressure when he took aim at the posts moments after Oisin McCann had brought Killyclogher level with a goal.
“It’s probably an easier shot when it’s a shot to win rather than a shot to draw,” he said.
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“Big Ben (McDonnell) won a break, Tierny (Tiernan Colhoun) kept the ball wide in the corner, and it clipped the post on the right side for me.
“They had scored a goal in the 63rd minute and we kinda knew there was going to be one last play.”
Harte was an immense figure throughout a gripping semi-final, also hitting his side’s goal in the first half, but he also played down the quality of that 21st minute strike.
“I think it just hit Simey (Killyclogher goalkeeper Simon O’Neill), and trickled across the line, but again there’s fine margins, and you take your breaks some days, because there’s plenty of days, as we have seen in the past few years, when they don’t go for you.
“That one went across the line, and goals are big in these games. It was a topsy turvy game, probably the goal swung it back in their favour in the second half, and we’re just delighted to eke out that win and move on in the championship.”
Every game has been a battle for last year’s beaten finalists, who needed a replay to get past Clonoe in the quarter-final, before squeezing over the line with a single point to spare on Sunday night.
“We’re really relived to get across the line, it was another seriously tough battle in the Tyrone Championship.
“There’s nothing easy this year at all, and never does be, and we’re just delighted to be in the final against Trillick.”
Darragh Canavan was forced off in the second half with a shoulder injury, and others picked up knocks that could rule them out of the final.
Harte insisted that Errigal will need to find areas of improvement if they are to match champions Trillick on Sunday week.
“We’ll have to be a bit better if we’re going to do anything in the final. Trillick are a savage side, and we’re under no illusions, we’ll have to produce our very best to live with them.
“We’ll recharge and refuel and try to get ready for a county final. They beat us last year and they didn’t have Mattie, Simon Garrity and Mickey Gallagher, so tit’s some task, they have some options.
“By all accounts, they were unbelievable on Friday night past, and we have a lot of homework to do and a lot of work to do to get ready for the final.
“We trained Friday and we didn’t get seeing them, but I’m sure we’ll be doing our homework now and everybody knows, it’s one of the worst-kept secrets in the world, that Trillick are one of the best sides about.”
