by Orla Bannon

Derry boss Damian Barton has taken a sarcastic swipe at his detractors and joked he "might just quit" if he guides his team into the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Barton has turned Derry's season around after a heavy defeat by Tyrone two months ago and quipped that the only way to answer his detractors might be to quit while he's ahead.

The Oak Leaf manager was angered to read last week that he and Cavan boss Terry Hyland had had 'a stay of execution' because they'd won second round qualifiers the previous weekend.

"I think it's a disgusting disgrace," said Barton.

"You are looking at a manager (Hyland) who brought a team up to Division One this year, arguably a very successful year, while I am in my first season and people are talking.

"What a load of nonsense.

"I am fed up of these people talking nonsense. I am not interested in speaking to them.

"They know nothing about football. What they want to do is stand on the sideline and come and get involved with a team where it's 24/7. I have nothing to prove.

"You know this, if we get over Round Four I might just quit.

"Quit whenever you're ahead!

"That would seem to be the sensible thing to do rather than people talking nonsense next year."

After qualifier wins over Louth, Meath and Cavan, Barton's team play Tipperary on Saturday for a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Reaching the last eight would be a resounding success story considering they were hammered 3-14 to 0-12 by Tyrone in the Ulster championship at the end of May.

"Derry have fantastic footballers," Barton claimed.

"I think the mental pressure of the Tyrone game... we heaped a lot of expectation upon ourselves.

"Once that went, the boys had time to recover.

"But sure, we weren't meant to get this far!"

Barton also praised his captain Mark Lynch, who scored 0-6 against Cavan at Kingspan Breffni Park last Saturday and has been hugely influential in recent victories.

"There is justice, because there is nobody more committed than Mark.

"His application and commitment to Derry I would never have known until this year. I am not patronising him in any way.

"What an inspirational leader he is.

"He is a fantastic player and it's about time he started playing a bit."

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