Derry manager Paddy Crozier says Michael McIver will have no divided loyalties in Sunday’s Ulster SFC clash against Donegal.
The half-back’s father Brian, in his guise as Donegal manager, is attempting to plot Derry’s downfall in the attractive clash at Ballybofey.
“I don’t think it will be a bit strange for Michael,” said Crozier.
“It’s been well advertised that Michael has come up through the ranks in Derry. It’s just another step up for him.”
Crozier added:”Business is business at the end of the day”.
Derry are high in the betting for Ulster and All-Ireland honours this year after their National League final success over Kerry last month but Crozier, predictably, is restricting his comments to Sunday’s difficult looking assignment.
“The National League is over. Nobody knows who won the National League nine or 10 years ago.
“Once we had beaten Kerry, we got back on the Tuesday night and we drew a line in the sand.
“I took the trophy home myself on the Sunday evening. Maybe the boys celebrated as a group on that Sunday night but after that, the league has never been mentioned.”
Crozier acknowledges that Donegal’s failure to deliver in last year’s Championship, a couple of months after their NFL success, has come up in a number of his team talks.
“We’ve been hammering that home about the pitfalls that lie ahead in the Ulster Championship. (At this stage) The National League means for nothing. It’s the Championship that counts.”
The Derry manager points out that Donegal haven’t lost a championship game at Ballybofey since they were ambushed by Fermanagh in 2000.
“They’ve had a great record in Ballybofey since then and that’s what we’re up against.
“It’ll be a long summer if we happen to come out of Ballybofey on the wrong end of the result. We’ll be facing seven weeks without football.”
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