'League littered with dangerous teams' - Meenagh

Derry manager Ciaran Meenagh says it's important his side do not become "too fixated on one team" as they begin their National League Division Two campaign against Meath at Croke Park on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Oak Leaf County were relegated from Division One last season, failing to win any of their seven fixtures.

Former interim boss Ciaran Meenagh is now in charge of the team and his first task is guiding the 2024 league champions back to Division One.

On paper, Derry could not have been handed a more difficult start, taking on two of the sides that reached the last four of the All-Ireland series in Meath before hosting Tyrone in their second game.

"At the end of the day, we have seven games in nine weeks and if we're too fixated on one team," Meenagh told BBC Sport NI.

"We have Meath and then we have Tyrone at home and then we have Kildare away, coming week after week.

"I suppose the team we've got to fixate on most now is ourselves and how we can draw improvement from our own performance.

"The division is littered with dangerous teams, so yeah, that's a tough start, but there'll be no simple games."

Derry's Dr McKenna Cup campaign ended with a defeat to a strong Donegal side at the semi-final stage, but Meenagh was able to welcome back all-star midfielder Conor Glass.

Derry were also without the Slaughtneil duo of Shane McGuigan and Brendan Rogers who were given a break after their club's run to the All-Ireland club hurling semi-final.

"We were probably missing a number of those players that we would look towards in that case, and Conor Glass was only to play 40 minutes the night just to get him back up and running."