Hyland: 'Ros goal was turning point'

Paul Fitzpatrick

Roscommon's goal just before the break was the crucial score in the match, stated Terry Hyland following Cavan's two-point defeat to the Connacht side in the NFL Division 3 final.

“We came up with the intention of trying to win it, we probably came up a little bit short on the night. It hinged on a few little things, probably the goal before half-time and the two scores we conceded just after half-time,” said Hyland.

“We found we were playing catch-up then for much of the second half but I thought we tried hard and we pushed on hard and we were still creating attacks at the end.”

Cavan kicked five successive wides at a vital stage in the second half; Hyland pointed out that the swirling breeze made shooting difficult.

“With the breeze, shooting into the lower goals seemed to be a bit more difficult, Roscommon had a good few wides in the first half. Whether it's the breeze, or bad shooting... It was a combination of both.”

Asked if the match hinged on Martin Dunne's early penalty miss, Hyland said: “It hinged on Roscommon's goal and us not getting the goal. When you get a tight game like that, it hinges on every miss, when you get penalties you'd like to think you'd put them away, we didn't tonight, that's what happened.”

 

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