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Return to Healy Park “a surreal experience” for Canavan

Wednesday, 25 January 2012

PETER Canavan admitted his return to Healy Park to take on Tyrone as manager of an opposing team was a surreal experience.
The Red Hand legend faced up against his former mentor Mickey Harte in the Dr McKenna Cup tie and his team came close to causing an upset with a rousing second half comeback.
“It was very different, I must say, especially when I have been with Mickey for so many years on the one team," said Canavan.
“To be pitting your wits against him is something different and takes a bit of getting used to.
“At least I got no bad manners from the crowd, or if I did, I didn't hear it."
Fermanagh trailed by 0-10 to 0-1 at half-time, and looked to be on their way to a heavy defeat, but fought back to rattle the hosts, eventually losing narrowly by three points.
And Canavan is certain his team will benefit from their experience. "They achieved their target in the second half, they won the second half, and they left thinking that Tyrone are beatable, that if they can apply the same pressure to them, they can compete with them.
“So of course, we'll take the positives from the game, there's no doubt about that."
The six-time All-Star admitted that the Erne side's first half performance fell well short of his expectations.
“It didn't look good at all. I was disappointed with our first half performance, because it probably wasn't a true reflection of the way they had been playing up to now.
“We said at half-time that our target was to win the second half. They did that and I'm pleased with the effort and commitment in the second half.
“I felt that they weren't doing themselves justice, because they have been working very hard in training, and the previous two games they have played with great hunger and good ambition, and they weren't afraid to go at the opposition.
“But in the first half, they were a bit afraid and possibly showed Tyrone a little too much respect.
“You couldn't say that in the second half, they went at it and they gave it a lash.
“Tyrone missed a lot of chances in the second half, and we were guilty of missing a few, but at least the game was competitive, and the supporters had something to shout about.
Had top-scorer Seamus Quigley been on the pitch for the full 70 minutes, the outcome may well have been different.
He had nailed 1-8 and 1-9 in the victories over Antrim and Queen's, but was left on the Healy Park bench until the second half, when he came in an sparked his side's comeback with a five points haul.
But Canavan said his decision not to start his in-form full forward was influenced by a need to look at other players.
“At the start of the McKenna Cup I made it clear that our aim was to select a panel at the end of the McKenna Cup for the league and championship, and it was important that every player in the panel got a run-out.
“So it was a simple case of giving everybody opportunities, and that's why Seamie was left off, and other fellows came in."
Asked if he felt Quigley could have inspired a Fermanagh victory had he been in the starting line-up, Canavan replied: "We'll never know that now, but the team in general in the second half played with much more fluency and so much more appetite, and that was very pleasing from my point of view."
He added: "We have a lot learning to do. For the first 35 minutes we were literally blown away, and it looked like a Division One team against a Division Four team.
“In the second half we were very good, so maybe the truth lies somewhere in between. We'll have a good look at the game, and we will be expecting more of the second half performance and less of the first half."

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