Offaly manager Cribbin believes confidence is the key
A lack of confidence throughout the team was the primary reason for Offaly's near disastrous late collapse against Roscommon according to manager Tom Cribbin who saw his team almost blow a seven point lead in the last six minutes.
Damian Moran reports
As it transpired his charges somehow managed to hold on for the vital win that leaves them poised to mount a serious charge towards promotion in the weeks to come.
While the manager was more than happy with some aspects of a mixed display, he was disappointed that his team gave away 'stupid scores' and that they didn't see out the game in a more comfortable fashion
"In the first half it was very mixed. Five minutes before half-time it was looking bad. We seemed to play brilliantly for ten or fifteen minutes but then we'd give away stupid scores. Our confidence isn't quite there yet. I think its a confidence thing personally. Its about getting the confidence into the players. We gave away a bad goal again in the second-half as well but we were still three points up with three minutes to go and that's when you use your head. That's when you should slow it down but we'll talk about these things and hopefully we can get it right then."
Cribbin was as nervous as anyone in the closing stages and he explained after the game that the instructions from the sideline were clear and simple in the closing stages as Roscommon drew ever closer.
"We were screaming at the players to get up the field and close them down and not let them build. They have an extremely good free taker and we couldn't afford to be fouling anywhere close to goals. A couple of times we turned back into traffic instead of coming out the wing and that's where the second goal came from. That's when you should slow it down but we'll talk about these things and hopefully we can get it right then."
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SEE ALSO
Offaly hold off Roscommon fightback
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While there may be concerns over some aspects of the performance the manager was in no doubt as to how important it was to hold on for the win.
"We had to win today. If we didn't win at home we'd be struggling big time. We had hard words over the silly mistakes. That's what costing us games. But its all about belief. There are natural footballers in Offaly and they have the skill and they are giving the commitment but they need to get that real belief Offaly teams have always had in themselves for years. If we get that back into them, they are good enough footballers."
There were certainly numerous positives from Sunday's performance, not least the scoring feats of the full-forward line. Niall McNamee, John Reynolds and David Egan scored 2-13 of Offaly's 2-14 between them and Tom Cribbin says the line up of the team was designed to leave space inside.
"It was deliberately put that way with a very hard working half-forward line out there. In the first-half David Egan played exceptionally well. He ran out of steam a little bit because the game plan was for him to make space for the other lads and to be near enough to the goals to pick off a few scores. He did that very well. In the second-half with that strong breeze we brought a man back and sat him in the little pocket and he picked up a huge amount of ball. It had to be a very mobile and skilful player and Alan did that job brilliantly."
While the defence was under intense pressure at the end, he was happy with the flexibility shown by the players who adapted to different positions throughout the game.
"When that team is driving and are in driving mode, like the Under 21s on Saturday, they're an awesome team to watch. One of the positive things today is that the defence had to be switched around to different sides to mark different sized players. Stephen Lonergan went back in the corner and did a super job. Shane Sullivan was brilliant full-back today, Kieran Kiely did brilliantly when he went to the wing and Conor Carroll is learning big time. He got forward a few times today and drew the free rather than trying to put himself under pressure so he got the scores by not kicking the ball and he marked very well."
Tom Cribbin chose to field no Under 21s on Sunday after they suffered an agonising extra-time defeat to Carlow on Saturday. He explained the decision was take as much due to their metal rather than physical fatigue.
"It was that they were mentally drained rather than being heavy legged. I just felt it was too tough a challenge for them after what they went through on Saturday. We have to settle on a new centre-back too and we have to say that we're going to go with a young player in Richie Dalton for the future. We have to be patient and give him the opportunity. Shane Sullivan's playing extremely well at full-back and we have to persist with these guys in those positions."
With two wins under their belts, the Offaly footballers now travel to Sligo this Sunday hoping to register their first win away from O'Connor Park in any competition since March 16, 2008 when they defeated Carlow in Dr Cullen Park in Division 4. That statistic in no way worries Tom Cribbin however and while he acknowledges that Sligo are a strong side, he says that he is expecting 'a big performance' next week.
We're looking forward to it. Sligo have a good inside forward line but I like the way our lads played today and its just about everyone staying switched on the whole time. I was very happy the way defence played and if we can get the defence right, and it has taken time with the Under 21s missing , I'm confident we're going in the right direction. I'm expecting a big performance next week.
See pages 26 to 29 for reports on the NFL & U-21 matches.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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