Offaly football managers happy with performance but realistic about prospects

THE mood of supporters was replicated to a large extent by Offaly joint managers, Declan Kelly and Mickey Harte after Sunday's National Football League Division 2 defeat by Louth.

There was general satisfaction among supporters that Offaly had performed better than expected and given a very good account of themselves in a 1-21 to 0-19 defeat but this was countered with the realisation that they are staring a Division 3 return in the face.

Offaly played some great, attacking football with the wind on their backs in the first half as they led by 0-14 to 0-11 at half time but were outscored by 1-10 to 0-5 in the second half with Sam Mulroy's goal opening a winning a gap for the visitors.

Offaly's performance pleased as they were down some key first team players, including Paddy Dunican, John Furlong, Cathal Flynn and Dylan Hyland while they are still coming to terms with Cillian Bourke's departure to Australia.

People feared the worse with so many absentees but Offaly were hugely competitive and not that far off the win. At the same time, a defeat is a defeat and it means that Offaly are now odds on for relegation.

This general feeling was evident when Kelly and Harte spoke after the game with Harte grimacing:

“For those who could enjoy it for what it was, it was a very good game. High scoring. Both teams doing very well for particular spells but at the end of the day it is all about who had the most scores and unfortunately they had it.

“I think it was a creditable performance from our players. It hasn't been easy. There are a number of people who aren't available. We would love to have them but they aren't there. We have to give full credit to the boys who are there, it was a battle to the end and that goal that Sam Mulroy got after a bit of a tackle, come hit on Lee was the turning point really.”

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Mulroy's goal came in the 46^th minute when Lee Pearson was dispossessed but the Tyrone man insisted:

“He didn't spill the ball, it was the classic, blind side punch tackle that happens. People get the ball but it goes through after the ball. I'm sure he didn't mean to do that but the end result wasn't good for Lee. We felt he could have got a free, he didn't and ultimately from then on, it was going to be Louth's game.

“It changed the whole complexion of what we had to do. The gap was beginning to widen and you couldn't really play around and work a single pointer but it wasn't going to be easy to get two pointers against the breeze and they were well aware of our capabilities of getting them. It had a lot to do with the outcome of the game.”

Offaly got four excellent two pointers with the wind on their back in the first half and Kelly said:

“The way the game is gone, two pointers are becoming a bit of a key. We got four in the first half and early on they cut in a bit from the sideline and got a couple of scores that were soft in the greater scheme of things, They were well worked by Louth and we changed that as the game went on, we cut them out but it was always a game that whoever got a goal would win. They got the goal and it was the decisive score.

“At that stage, you needed a couple of two pointers and against the wind, it was going to be a bit of a battle.”

The Kilclonfert man agreed that 11 points was too much to concede in the first half and that Louth broke through Offaly too easily.

“They were cutting in from the side. Craig Lennon did that quite a bit. Either he cut in or there was someone coming through the middle on the run and that was a big disappointment. They were getting through relatively unscathed.”

A Keith O'Neill free put Offaly four up early in the second half and Harte reflected:

“We got the first point of the second half and I thought they were in good shape but they got too much of a run down the middle of our defence. It wasn't so much that we hadn't personnel there but they weren't deploying themselves right. The cuts were coming in and then people were not tracking runners. It is the cut from the side that you have to be aware of but you have to track the runners down the middle. If the runners from the middle were tracked, the cuts from the side wouldn't have damaged us so much but look, it is a learning experience.

“We knew to expect that but it is one thing knowing and another thing to do something about it. It took a while for our players to catch on and in the second half, there was much less of that.

“We always felt we were in the game. That goal created a different desire for us. We had to say we are not going to take this back in single pointers, we either have to get a goal or two pointers, which were going to be hard to get. They were aware of it and there were a couple very close at the end. The ball was scrambled away and another that Keith (O'Neill) kicked and I thought it was going over. He struck his two point free well, just not at the right angle. We could have been in touching distance up to the end but that is history now. We are not going to get any points out of today. If we learn something from it, we might get something next week.”

Kelly was happy that Offaly performed but stressed:

“Ultimately, if we can get through the next couple of months, we will have a panel of players who will have seen a lot of games. Going forward, you will be in a good spot but Division 2 is where we are and we have to dust ourselves off.”

Harte declared:

“You want to be in a place that is difficult and challenging because if you are not, you are not learning and improving. Yes, we are in that place now so it is up to us to say this is what we did today. It wasn't good enough for two points. How do we add value to the next game to try and get them. Kildare will be in the same frame of mind, they got probably a bonus point in Tyrone last night so they will be happy and comfortable with what they did.

“They will be expecting that will stand to them. They were very good last night, particularly when they went down to fourteen men. It was a creditable performance for them to take a draw out of that. There is no one here you can say, there is two points. There is no two points available or handouts in this league. That is why it is Division 2 , you have two teams who have come down out of Division 1, two who came up and you have the four in the middle who are hardy, seasoned operators. It is all to fight for.”

Offaly travel to Newbridge to play Kildare next Saturday night and while they will be big underdogs, they beat Kildare twice last year and will be confident.

Kelly said:

“In the last few years, we have been very competitive. They will be red hot favourites at home, a Saturday night game. There will be a good crowd. A lot of the north Offaly locals will be at at. We have to dust ourselves off and go again. We played them three times last year and there wasn't much in any of the three games.”

Harte smiled when it was suggested that Offaly wouldn't fear Louth with a full complement of players.

“I wouldn't be talking like that now. Louth will improve too, they are Leinster champions. You don't freak your way to the Leinster title, you win your way to it and they did that. That has given them some confidence, probably too much for our liking.”