Mickey Harte has backed returning Cathal McCarron to be a “serious asset” for Tyrone in 2015.
The defender suffered some very public off-the-field troubles last year but started the new one in fine form on the pitch during the Red Hand’s 1-12 to 1-10 Dr McKenna Cup victory over Armagh yesterday.
“He’s in great form, in great shape,” said Harte. “He is a very good defender.
“For not having played football for that long at that level, he adapted very quickly.
“If he continues to progress that way, he'll be a serious asset to us as the season goes on.”
After a 30-minute delay due to under-staffing at the Athletic Grounds turnstiles, more than 8,000 eventually witnessed four sendings off (three for Armagh) among 19 cards issued.
But Harte insists the card count did not reflect the true nature of this pre-season curtain-raiser.
“I think there was a lot of cards flashed and maybe a different referee mightn’t just have had as many,” he said.
“It really wasn’t (a bad-tempered game) ... it’s not a reflection of how the game was played.”
Listen to the full interview via the podcast (25 minutes in):
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