First-time Tyrone champions face eight-day turnaround for provincial opener

The shackles are off and Edendork can go out an express themselves as the club ventures into the Ulster Senior Championship for the first time ever, says captain Conor Mallon.

Eight days after capturing their first ever Tyrone SFC title, beating 2024 Ulster champions Errigal Ciaran after a replay, Edendork are back in action as they travel to Páirc Esler to face Down champions Clonduff.

It’s somewhere Edendork have never been before. After a couple of days celebrating their historic occasion, they have got their heads down this week and are hoping to give Saturday a real rattle.

“We had a good three days at it but obviously we’re out again this weekend, we met on Monday night and trained Tuesday night and we’ll take it from there,” Mallon explained.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet so it’s hard to really know where we’re at but there’s a bit of freedom for us now, we’re going to go out and express ourselves. As I said on Friday night, it’s bonus territory for us and now the shackles are off.

“The pressure is off because it’s so hard to win a county title and every team in Ulster, they’re all obviously great sides so it should be a great standard and we’re just glad to be there.”

Clonduff are competing in Ulster for the first time since 2000 having ended a drought of 26 years to get their hands on the Frank O’Hare Cup.

Mallon says he doesn’t know too much about their opponents, but knows his side are in for a serious test.

“We don’t know very much about them. That’s Brian (McGuckin) and ‘Deets’ (Conleith Gilligan) and Malachy’s (McGlinchey) job, we’re not really looking at that.

“I did see the Down final and they look like a great outfit. Any team that is winning the Down championship, it’s a serious county for football as well so we know it’s going to be tough.

“We’ll just have to see how the bodies are, we have a few injuries and stuff from last Friday night so hopefully everybody is alright and we can go at it on Saturday.

“It’s exciting for both teams and obviously they have the extra couple of weeks rest there but we don’t know if that matters yet, hopefully we’ll get out the right side of it.”

Gilligan has plenty of provincial experience to call upon. He won Ulster and All-Ireland titles with his own club Ballinderry as a player, as a coach with Kilcoo and even at inter-county level with Armagh.

His influence in the Edendork changing room will be key this week. “He spoke on Monday night and he really drilled it into us what Ulster is going to be like,” Mallon continued.

“We don’t have any experience in it so it’s incredible to have him on board and he can help us through whatever nerves and the aura of the whole thing, he can keep us on the right side.

“He’s so confident that if we put a few performances together, then we won’t be far away.”