2020 – The season that never got going

Last year was as odd a season as I can recall. The coronavirus pandemic ripped a hole right through the middle of the calendar and left the season being completed in winter behind closed doors after club championships had been run across the country in early autumn.

Five significant things happened for Tyrone in what may still be remembered as one of our more uneventful seasons.

• We beat the big three. There aren’t many years where we beat Kerry, Dublin and Mayo. These were all league fixtures with the Mayo game saving us from relegation on the last day. We picked up a league win over Meath on the first day out but infuriating defeats to Monaghan and Galway are best consigned to history.
• Last year, we faced Donegal twice in an autumn fortnight losing narrowly twice and with no backdoor, our championship had ended on day one. This year, Donegal will likely need conquering if we are to win the Ulster title in another straight knockout championship.
• The lure of Australian Rules. The winter was defined by talk of our reigning 2019 All Star Cathal McShane emigrating for a professional contract in Australia. A month later he had committed to a future in Ireland and suffered a season-ending injury against Galway at Tuam. By autumn, Conor McKenna had returned from Essendon and was our brightest light in the two defeats to Donegal and the win over Mayo in Castlebar. They will be two key players for us in the years to come.
• Colm Cavanagh retired before the autumn games. He has been one of our most outstanding players in recent years whether it be in midfield or playing the sweeper role which he made his own. Kyle Coney also called it a day and it is with regret that we probably never got to see the best of Kyle at intercounty level.
• Finally Mickey Harte departed as manager. He brought success that Tyrone people could only have dreamed about in the mid 2000s and kept us competing at the top table right up to 2020. Few have done more for Tyrone football but an exciting new era will now begin under Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher.