St Michael’s MacRory Cup manager Peter Teague is taking the positives from his side’s opening-day defeat to St Patrick’s, Maghera.

After a well-contested opening 25 minutes, the Derry school pulled away with a goal at the end of the first-half, and one in the second, to eventually ease out as comfortable winners.

Speaking after the game in Carrickmore, Teague said: “Listen, a really good bit of learning would be the way I would sum it up there coming up against a formidable Maghera side, riddled with Derry minors of the past two seasons.

"So, it was a really good learning curve for us and we’ll be able to reflect on the game and hopefully pick out a couple of things to work on for our next two group games.”

The Enniskillen side led three times in the opening 30 minutes with Dara Cathcart, Mattie McDermott, Niall McKenna and Kian Prior all chipping in with points.

“That’s it, I think we were 4-3 up there at one stage in the first 20-25 minutes of the first-half, and then there was one or two wee mistakes or errors that they capitalised on,” Teague continued.

“That’s what will happen when you make mistakes at this top level in MacRory Cup football, you’ll get punished and they hit us with 1-03 in the last five minutes of the first-half to take a five-point advantage in at halftime and it’s always difficult to claw that back whenever it happens.”

Teague added that the Fermanagh club scene has prevented his team from having full training sessions but is hoping to welcome back a full panel over the next two weeks when they face St Patrick’s, of Cavan, in their second group game.

“We prepared as best we possibly can but with the Fermanagh Minor Championship semi-finals over the weekend there, we weren’t really fit to train them all because we just had too many men involved with Irvinestown, Derrygonnelly, Donagh and the rest.

"We had over 20 men, in our panel, that were involved in games at the weekend and you don’t want to overdo it either and leave them men fatigued going into games.

"So, in terms of preparation, we weren’t ideally prepped but we tried our best the lads, in fairness, dug deep today and there were times when they could have thrown the towel in.

"We’ve got a two-week gap now between our next game now and the Fermanagh minor Final is this Saturday, so, hopefully after that, we will have a clear slate and get everyone in to work with and get a real good bulk of work done.

"It’ll be a tough one surely, I’m sure they (St Patrick’s, Cavan) got a good look at us there today, I seen a few of them there.

"It’s something to look forward to and to be excited about.”