Offaly U-20 football manager delighted with way big guns rallied the forces late on

WHILE very much aware that football is a team sport and a team is only as good as its weakest link, Offaly U-20 football manager Declan Kelly has occasionally spoken about the importance of the big guns stepping up to the plate when it matters most.

He certainly saw that happen as Offaly got their All-Ireland and provincial defences off to a winning start with a 3-7 to 0-13 win over Louth in the first round of the Leinster U-20 Football Championship in Kilcormac's Faithful Fields on Thursday evening.

With flying forward Cormac Egan out for the campaign as he heads to London for an operation on his torn hamstring, Offaly's star players are defenders Lee Pearson and John Furlong, midfielder Morgan Tynan and attacker Keith O'Neill.

Not everything went their way the whole time and it was the second half before Furlong and Tynan in particular hit top gear but Offaly could not have won this game without this quartet. They were particularly influential as Offaly finished powerfully to edge out a very tough, entertaining battle with a Louth side who were on for an upset win with just over ten minutes left and were still snapping on Offaly's heels in injury time.

A Jamie Guing goal with eleven minutes left gave Offaly a 3-5 to 0-11 lead but Louth got it back to the minimum with four minutes left and extra time loomed large. It was then that Offaly's key players really stepped up. Guing put them two in front on the stroke of the sixty minutes after a breathtaking run up field by Lee Pearson and then Morgan Tynan cut in from the left to fist over the point that ensured Offaly would not be beaten in normal time.

John Furlong gathered the last ball as Louth went hunting for a match saving goal and the Tullamore man had really found his form in the second half – he had not been as influential as normal in the first half but after a long lay off with injury, this was to be expected.

Keith O'Neill, a hugely influential impact sub last year, also demonstated his importance to the team as he carried ball at pace and struck terror into the Louth defence any time he got possession with a metre of space. The Clonbullogue speed merchant was one of the few Offaly players to hit the ground running from the start and as his side found it hard to get up to the pace and intensity of the game, he twice got sight of goal – he didn't finish with his first one well saved by the Louth keeper. O'Neill could have taken points both tims but too often forwards shy out of taking those chances on, opting for the safe option and on a different day, he will hit the net.

Declan Kelly spoke afterwards about the importance of the team's best players leading by example when the game is there to be won or lost.

“We were struggling to get our hands on the balls at times to be fair. As the game went on, our bigger guns started to come into it. In the last ten minutes, Morgan (Tynan) and Lee (Pearson) made a couple of runs up the field and John (Furlong) steadied things. That is what you need, you need your big guns doing it for you.

“They did step up in fairness to them. When the game was there to be won or lost, they got on ball and turned over a few balls. Morgan got a score, came in on the end line and got a good point at the end. They done well in that way.”

He confirmed that Cormac Egan is out for the foreseeable future and won't play for Offaly U-20s this year. “The bottom line is he has to get himself right,” he said, stating that Egan's target will be to play for Tullamore.

Kelly was pleased with the win but admitted that it was a less than perfect performance. He had no doubt that the goals won it for Offaly.

“We stuttered at the start a bit. They got a good start early on. Probably, the goals got us there. The first goal got us into the game and the next goal got you a little bit in front.

“For the first ten minutes of the second half, we were probably under the cosh a bit again and Jamie's (Guing) goal gave us that bit of a nose again, it kept us there. It probably was the difference, the fact that we were able to get the few goals when we needed them.”

He knows from last year that Offaly can improve from here and that management and players will learn a lot from the win.

“You can play challenge games and even league matches but it is realy in championship football that you find out about fellows. It is where you find out if fellows are really up for it. We got a lot off the bench today which is good going forward. We are looking for lads to put their hands up from there.”

While Kelly and selectors kept faith and persevered with some players who didn't start well, they were also not shy about making changes when they felt they had to be made. Geordi O'Meara was replaced at half time, Harry Plunkett went five minutes into the second half and Tom Hyland was summoned to the sideline after 42 minutes. Hyland is a veteran from last year but the Kilclonfert man agreed that it takes new players time to adapt to this level and the heightened interest in a team.

“It does take time. If you are coming out of minor, there is crowds and all that. They are only a young lad and there is all that in front of them but it is all part of their development. If they can perform in that sort of an environment, it is good for them going forward as well.”

Now Kelly and Offaly focus on Carlow next Thusday evening.

“Carlow will have been there looking at us. We will get back on it Saturday and Monday and plan accordingly.”