Ladies manager determined Cavan will win replay

Seamus Enright

Cavan Ladies Senior Manager says his charges are more driven than ever for the right to play top-flight football next year, dismissing suggestions that last Sunday's Lidl National Football League Division 2 Final may have been the one that got away. Instead, Aidan McCabe sees the replay as another opportunity to complete what his team initially set out to do, maintaining that confidence remains high in the camp ahead this Sunday's replay, scheduled at 4pm as part of a double-header with the Division 3 final replay between Wexford and Tipperary, in Birr, County Offaly.
With the upper echelons of ladies football within touching distance, instead of feeling regret having surrendered a four-point lead, Mr McCabe says his players are determination to finish a job they started with such aplomb last Sunday.
Cavan were by far the better side in the first half, registering eight points, but also six wides.
Having led right up to the 57th minutes, and seemingly set for victory at 0-15 to 1-8, the game was turned on its head by a late goal from Ciara Blundell, followed by the all important equalising score from experienced Westmeath midfielder Maud-Annie Foley to force a second encounter.
The resilience shown by the Lake County, anxious to avoided final defeat for the third time in four seasons, was all the more impressive given that full-back star Amie Giles was sin-binned with 12 minutes remaining.
'We were frustrated we didn't win but we are determined. Westmeath were always going to come back into the game, but maybe we let them a bit. While the pass and finish for their second goal was very good, we turned the ball over in our own full-back line which opened up that opportunity.
'Having said that, I still think we performed well in those closing stages. We still created chances ourselves, we just didn't take them,' Mr McCabe told The Anglo-Celt.
The Cootehill Celtic clubman, who took over from former manager Conor Barry last January added: 'If we hadn't created anything then I'd be worried. The fact that we did, it's just about taking those chances when they come. That's something you can work at, on the pitch very easily.'

High intensity
With a more relaxed preparation planned in terms of workload going into Sunday's replay, the focus is on ensuring all players have recovered sufficiently. Mr McCabe says his team's high tempo style will not be jilted by having to repeat those exertions.
'We look to do that, set a high-intensity and there is nothing wrong registering high scores early on, and while we kept creating chances, they just didn't happen. It was an extremely fast-paced game, and the argument of 'did we run out of steam', I again point to the chances created, it's now just about taking them looking ahead to next Sunday.
'Like everything else you can over analyse these things. It's strange, if we had gotten one kick over the bar after they scored the second goal I think we would've edged it. The fact that we didn't doesn't mean there weren't leaders or there was a lack of leadership in taking on shots. If we hadn't created anything I would've been worried, but we did,' says Mr McCabe.