Derry 3-17 Monaghan 0-13: Shane McGuigan 'an exceptional player' - Mickey Harte
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Shane McGuigan kicked 11 points as Derry maintained their unbeaten start
Derry boss Mickey Harte praised 2023 All-Star Shane McGuigan after he top scored with 11 points in the Oak Leafers' comprehensive 3-17 to 0-13 win over Monaghan at Celtic Park.
The Oak Leafers are top of Division One with three straight wins.
"No he wasn't half bad out there," said Harte, who is unbeaten as Derry boss.
"Shane's an exceptional player, we know that and I didn't need tonight to tell us that, and his accuracy was critical."
Harte added: "They were tough kicks and you could miss them just as easily as score them but he had the dead eye in tonight and it was just super because it gave us the cushion we needed when we were playing with the breeze."
Three defenders - Conor McCluskey, Padraig McGrogan and Conor Doherty - scored the Derry goals and the spread of scorers across the team was another aspect that pleased the manager.
"Three footballers. That is the truth. In the modern game, numbers on the back really don't matter," Harte said on his goalscorers.
"Everybody has to be able to do a bit of everything and the more players you have on the field that can do that, can attack with comfort, defend with comfort, pass the ball, run and all of those things.
"It's a football game now and it's a team game, it really is a team game and everybody needs to be able to do virtually everything that's required."
'It's a sprint, not a marathon'
One of the criticisms of Derry in recent times has been their lack of depth but that appears to have been addressed in the opening weeks of the season.
"When a narrative hits the public domain it's very easy for it to be kept going, so I see that," added Harte.
"That talk has been there for the last year or the year before but it's maybe not fair to say that there was a lack of depth.
"Maybe those players just needed a wee bit more game time in critical matches and maybe the management didn't feel it was safe to do that.
"That happens sometimes.
"But I think we used the McKenna Cup for that to get players game time and now that the league is the way it is, games coming thick and fast we need to be putting other players in for some time at least.
"It's always good because the hectic nature of this season is a sprint, not a marathon.
"You're going to need players, players are going to be working and playing all the time. You need people that can win and are capable of taking over and doing a bit.
"It's good to see that a number of players are getting some game time because you don't know until they get into this kind of arena how they'll handle it."
Defenders Conor McCluskey, Padraig McGrogan and Conor Doherty found the net for Derry
Despite the unbeaten start to the league season, which puts the Oak Leafers top of Division One, Harte isn't getting carried away.
"Look it's only early days yet, we can't get carried away by anything.
"It's three games and three wins. That's brilliant but there's tougher things ahead, we know that.
"We have to go to Galway next week, you have Mayo to play, you have Roscommon to play.
"These are all tough games and you can never take your eye off the ball.
"Days like this happen when you get the run, the run goes for you and you're able to get scores.
"So we'll be happy of course and it's good to score goals, good to get league points early in the season.
"It takes a bit of the heat off the relegation zone and that's a good place to be at this stage."