Excellent second half display earns Offaly morale boosting win

OFFALY gave their supporters the right type of surprise with a huge and morale boosting win over Sligo in the opening round of the National Football League in O'Connor Park on Sunday afternoon.

National Football League Division 3

Offaly 1-17

Sligo 0-13

Playing very controlled, efficient and occasionally exciting football, Offaly's win was much more comprehensive and comfortable than anyone in the home support expected or wished for. Their second half display was both pleasing and encouraging and Offaly were in the unusual position of not being in any real peril of losing in the closing few minutes.

0-9 to 0-7 at half time after losing their way in the ten minutes before the break of a decent game of football, Offaly played really well in the second half. They outscored the visitors by 1-10 to 0-4 in the second half, attacking at pace but displaying patience as they tried to carve open opportunities.

They were assisted by a very wasteful Sligo side who contributed to their own woes with some shocking shooting. They kicked fifteen wides in all, nine in the second half and while some of them were down to tenacious marking by a very solid Offaly defence, a significant percentage was just poor shooting.

The Offaly team that started featured a new player in Eoin Sawyer from Castleknock in Dublin. Sawyer has featured on Offaly U20 panels in recent years and was given his chance by management – he worked hard but it will take him some time to get up to the pace and build his confidence for this level. Sawyer declared a few years ago under the parentage rule that allows sons of exiles in Dublin to line out for the home county of one of their parents: his father Alfie is from Clara, on the Tubber side – at one stage the Sawyer's owned the now defunct Dolphin Pub in Clara while Alfie went to Dublin as a young man.

Apart from the ten minutes before the break, Offaly were the better team most of the way. They started well and two delightful points from Keith O'Neill had them two points to the good after seven minutes. O'Neill was superb in the first half, kicking four points while Sligo had four wides before Alan Reilly got them off the mark in the 10^th minute.

The sides were fairly evenly matched for the next fifteen minutes. They were level on four occasions in the first half and Offaly were in a strong position when they led by 0-6 to 0-4 after 23 minutes. Both sides had good goal chances with Paddy Dunican saving superbly from Paul McNamara in the 12^th minute while Jack Bryant didn't get a clean strike at his chance at the other end in the 21^st minute.

Sligo played their best football from the 25^th to 32^nd minutes, scoring five points without reply to lead by 0-9 to 0-6. It looked ominous for Offaly at this stage as Sligo had an edge in physicality and Paddy Dunican got into kickout trouble for a spell, struggling to find his man. Crucially Keith O'Neill got his fourth point in injury time to leave Offaly just two behind at the break.

It meant that Offaly were in a bit of bother at the break but they really hit the ground running in the second half. Paddy Dunican got forward for the first of his two points from play and Dylan Hyland and O'Neill added frees in a ten minute spell when Sligo had three wides.

That was the difference and O'Neill added a super point before Offaly's crucial goal arrived in the 53^rd minute. Paddy Dunican and Ja]ck Bryant did the ground work and Ruari McNamee got his boot to the ball to make it 1-11 to 0-9 – Bryant was replaced almost immediately and it was one of those days where it almost but didn't flow for him, however, his role in that goal was crucial.

His effective replacement Shane Tierney fisted a point and Dylan Hyland floated over a beauty to give Offaly a 1-13 to 0-9 lead with 55 minutes gone. Patrick O'Connor got Sligo's first second half point in the 58^th minute and that was way too long to go without a score. Even then, Sligo looked a mediocre team, though impressive sub Niall Murphy got three points, one of them from the game's only two pointer in the 65^th minute.

Offaly continued to play with heart warming composure in the last ten minutes, almost always doing the right thing and four points ensured that supporters did not experience any anxiety in the four minutes of injury time.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Keith O'Neill (Offaly): Keith O'Neill was at his sensational best here. He got six points, five of them from play, his shooting was top class, his movement and general play of a high order.

Offaly had other players who excelled and two more of the young 2021 U20s Cathal Flynn and Cormac Egan were superb. Their ball carrying was excellent with Flynn foraging back to carry from deep and Egan racing forward at every opportunity. Paddy Dunican was superbly effective when coming out the field and curled over two points from play while Cormac's older brother Diarmuid Egan did a lot of very solid work on the half back line and Rory Egan made some great interceptions. Jordan Hayes had a good second half and Jack McEvoy played himself into the game at midfield. Dylan Hyland had very good spells in an attack that has more in the tank but still got a very satisfying 1-17.

THE SCORERS

Offaly: Keith O'Neill 0-6 (1f), Dylan Hyland 0-4 (2f), Ruari McNamee 1-1, Paddy Dunican 0-2, Rory Egan, Cathal Flynn, Nigel Dunne and Shane Tierney 0-1 each.

Sligo: Patrick O'Connor 0-5 (2f), Niall Murphy 0-3 (1tp), Alan McLoughlin (1f) and Alan Reilly 0-2 each, Cian Lally 0-1.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: Paddy Dunican (Shamrocks); Lee Pearson (Edenderry), David Dempsey (Ballycommon), Rory Egan (Edenderry); Diarmuid Egan (Tullamore), Marcas Dalton (Clara), Cormac Egan (Tullamore); Jack McEvoy (Clonbullogue), Jordan Hayes (Edenderry); Ruari McNamee (Rhode), Cathal Flynn (Ferbane), Keith O'Neill (Clonbullogue); Dylan Hyland (Raheen), Jack Bryant (Shamrocks), Eoin Sawyer (Castleknock, Dublin). Subs – Cillian Bourke (Tullamore) for Dalton (HT), Nigel Dunne (Shamrocks) for Sawyer (62m), Kyle Higgins (Ferbane) for Diarmuid Egan (68m), Cathal Donoghue (Oughterard, Galway) for McNamee (70m),

SLIGO: Aidan Devaney; Paul McNamara, Eddie McGuinness, Evan Lyons; Brian Cox, Jack Lavin Luke Casserly; Canice Mulligan, Paul Kilcoyne; Cian Lally, Alan McLoughlin, Eoghan Smith; Alan Reilly, Patrick O'Connor, Pat Spillane. Subs – Lee Deignan for Smith (HT), Rossa Sloyan for Casserly (50m), Niall Murphy for Spillane (50m), Luke Towey for Lavin (64m), Oisin Flynn for Lally (65m),

Referee – Chris Maguire (Clare).

REFEREE WATCH

With the new rules getting their big competitive debut this weekend, there was a lot of attention on referees. This would have created stress and pressure for them and you could see how focused them and their officials were to get things right. Mistakes are inevitable in any game but referees have clearly worked hard at adapting to the changes and Chris Maguire had a good, solid game here – there was once in the second half when Sligo's third man forward drifted beyond half way but it was for a very fleeting moment and wasn't spotted by the linesman.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Ruari McNamee's 53^rd minute goal settled the match and broke Sligo's fragile spirit.

VENUE WATCH

Top marks to the O'Connor Park workers for the way they turned things around for this game after Saturday's hurling one between Offaly and Carlow. Despite plenty of rainfall, the pitch didn't show any obvious ill effects from the hurling game. Underfoot conditions were heavy but the pitch held up well and the game was well hosted.

WHAT'S NEXT

Offaly travel to Portlaoise to play Laois next Sunday.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly – 11 (6 in first half); Sligo – 15 (6 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly – 2 (Shane Tierney and Nigel Dunne); Sligo - 0

Black cards: 0

Red cards: 0