New Derry manager looking for “athletes first” as reign begins

Damian Barton has admitted that he could be looking for athletes as his first criteria for county call-ups but he has also vowed to take a stand against defensive football.

Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning centre half forward has taken the mantle of the Oak Leaf county from Brian McIver and has indicated that his team won't be left behind modern football anyway. The Newbridge man, who had previously managed Slaughtneil and Kilrea, said that his era marks a fresh start for footballers in the county and that athletes will be prioritised as much as footballers. And more so. "{We will be] perhaps looking for athletes first and then technically gifted players, but the door is open to everyone," Barton told the BBC. "There are some fantastic players in this county that I may not be aware of. I want them to make themselves known and come along to the trials in the next couple of weeks." However, athletes don't necessarily mean at the expense of the team's football as far as Barton is concerned. Derry were criticised last year for playing conservatively against Dublin in the league and holding the eventual omni-champions to two points in the first half. They shut up shop that night in Croke Park but it isn't a style of play that the new management will buy in to. "Players don't train to sit behind the ball and certainly my objective is to get the players to stick the ball in the net or over the bar," he told the Belfast Telegraph. "I think that's where you get the buzz from, the enjoyment of playing football, winning with some style. "People used to talk about not caring as long as they won by a point, but hopefully those days are gone. "My objective is to get players enjoying a type of football that they can express themselves."