CONOR TOURISH hasn’t given up hopes of making a breakthrough at senior level, but will concentrate on helping keep Letterkenny Rovers in the 4 Lanterns Ulster Senior League race for now.
Rovers host Finn Harps Reserves on Saturday afternoon at the Aura Leisure Centre (kick-off 2.30pm) and have the chance to narrow the gap on leaders Cockhill Celtic.
Tourish is back at Rovers after ending a five-year stint at Derry City last summer, following an injury-hit spell towards the close of his time with the Candystripes.
The 21-year-old is enjoying the game again and is quite content to be donning the white and black of Rovers.
“All players in my age bracket would be aiming for senior football, but I just want to keep performing well now,” he says.
[adrotate group=”46″]“I want to keep improving week-on-week and keep enjoying football. I would never rule out senior football, but I’m happy doing what I’m doing at the moment.
“I’m back enjoying football again, big time. I really love the training and being back with the boys I played with before.
“Playing matches is the big one, though. That’s what makes it most enjoyable – getting to play.”
Tourish had a spell at Finn Harps in 2009 and after lining out for Rovers again he joined Derry in 2012 and actually made the first team squad for an FAI Senior Cup clash with Sligo last April.
By then, though, he was feeling the effects of a 14-month spell on the sidelines having had hip surgery and ongoing groin complaints.
[adrotate group=”53″]“I just kept breaking down,” he says, “and found it hard to get a proper run at it. Coming near the end of my time at Derry, I broke down again. It was nothing wild serious, but it still happened.
“I loved it at Derry. It really brought me on and it was a great experience, but it got to the stage where I was at a stalemate. I was training away and playing no matches.
“It was still tough to leave, but I had to make the decision for myself. I needed to get back playing before I could see if I could make the step again.”
[adrotate group=”76″]Tourish had lined out with Rovers in both the USL and USL Reserve Leagues in his previous spell at the club.
Bar a couple of weeks out after sustaining an injury in Cork while lining out in the interpros, Tourish has had a solid campaign; one that has suddenly become ajar for Rovers again with Cockhill having lost to both Swilly Rovers and Derry City in the last three weeks.
“It’s been a bit mad,” Tourish says. “You never know. All we can do is just keep putting the points on the board and keeping the pressure on as much as we can. It’s still Cockhill’s to lose, but you’d never say it’s over.
“We’ll just concentrate on ourselves. We dropped a few silly points in the first bit of the season when Cockhill were winning away. Now we’ve put up a few wins when they’ve lost a couple.”
One of the games that has effected Rovers’ title tilt was a madcap 3-3 draw away to Harps Reserves, when they were fortunate to get away with a point having been a goal up at one stage.
Tourish says: “It hurt us big time, that game. We fell back in that game. We thought we should have won it after going a goal up. It was a game that really has cost us, but we can get back in the race now again hopefully.
“I’ve been impressed by the standard of the League. Fanad and Swilly are well improved again and that has brought up the standard. Sometimes it’s seemd as if it’s a one-horse race, but it’s a good, competitive League.”
| USL | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
| Cockhill Celtic | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 10 | 22 | 25 |
| Fanad United | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 17 |
| Letterkenny Rovers | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 16 |
| Bonagee United | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 13 |
| Derry City Reserves | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 10 |
| Swilly Rovers | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 24 | -13 | 6 |
| Finn Harps Reserves | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 22 | -12 | 5 |
RESULT
Thursday
Fanad United 2 Swilly Rovers 1
FIXTURES
Saturday, January 28, 2.30pm
Letterkenny Rovers v Finn Harps Reserves Referee – Vincent McLoughlin; Assistants – Marty Quinn and Marty McGarrigle
Sunday, January 29, 2pm
Bonagee United v Fanad United Referee – Michael Connolly
Swilly Rovers v Derry City Reserves Referee – Marty McGarrigle; Assistants – Marty Quinn; Vincent McLoughlin
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