Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has defended Tiernan McCann over accusations that he deliberately injured Derry opponent Brendan Rogers in last month's McKenna Cup final.

Rogers required 14 stitches to his lip after a clash with McCann in the game's early stages, with Derry boss Damien Barton describing the incident as "quite horrific" following the Oak Leafers' National League victory over Fermanagh last Sunday.

However, Harte has insisted that there was no intent from McCann and feels that what occurred "was very much accidental".

"What happened to Brendan Rogers, the injury was horrific, but the incident wasn't horrific. The incident was very much accidental," Harte told The Irish News.

"I'd be disappointed at the way it has been coming out regularly since that happened.

"First of all, nobody wants to see any player getting injured.  We very much regret that he had the injury he had, nobody wants to see any player injured.

"The outcome of the injury was horrific, the incident itself could not be described as horrific, more accidental."
After reviewing the footage of the incident himself, Harte felt that it was an honest challenge for the ball by McCann.

"I have watched it numerous times and I can understand how it happened because Tiernan McCann was going forward, he reached in for a broken ball, and to reach in for that broken ball necessarily meant his shoulder turned forward, and at that time he clashed with Brendan Rogers," said the Red Hands boss.

"He actually got his eyes on the ball, he turned his body to reach in for the ball.

"In fact I would believe he wanted to take the ball and swivel away from the contact altogether in one go. But he reached in and didn't quite get the ball, and maybe they were just too close to each other and they hit, and that was very unfortunate for young Rogers.

"We would never want any player to be injured like that at all."

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