Mixed emotions after 'rollercoaster' senior final

SFC final reaction

After 70-odd glorious minutes of battle under the bright lights and before the gaze of the national television cameras, both managers finally had time to draw breath.

Kingscourt and Crosserlough went toe to toe and produced a Senior Championship final for the ages, with both sides looking dead and buried at times in a helter skelter, free-flowing spectacle which was viewed live by more fans than any other renewal of this famous fixture in history.

Both Jimmy Higgins and David Lennon queried some refereeing decisions but the over-riding emotion coming from the men in the bainisteoir bib seemed to be relief that they are still in with a chance to get their hands on the Oliver Plunkett Cup.

“Getting the last two scores, getting the two scores at the end to draw the game, you’ll take it after being two points down in injury time,” said Higgins, who initially stated that still being in the tie was the only positive he was taking at that moment in time.

As the interview went on, though, Higgins was clearly proud of the efforts of his charges.

“We’ll look at the video in the next couple of days and see what we can come up for next week and hopefully maybe the neutrals will enjoy another good game,” he said.

Asked if doubts set in among his side when Kingscourt bagged a crucial goal just before half-time, he said: “No I wouldn’t say there was doubt. Probably coming into the first water break, it lost momentum for us. Kingscourt’s experience probably slowed the game down where we were probably trying to get it to a higher tempo at that stage but look, we’re happy with the way the lads performed for most of the game.

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“At the end of the day, we didn’t lose so that’s a positive we can take out of it. Padraig’s goal there, he’s a hard man to stop when he’s running through… Questionable maybe if he over-carried it, they’ll question maybe he was fouled but at some stage you have to play the ball. But it was a great finish.”

As Cian Shekleton stood over a free which would have put the Stars three clear in injury time, Higgins said there was no panic in the Crosserlough camp.

“People will talk about the talent in the group but there’s a lot of character there. Over in Crosskeys against Ramor in round four in the group, we were seven points down with 10 minutes to go and we won by two.

“Castlerahan had us two points behind coming into injury time last week and we won that one in extra time so there’s character in the group. On the last free, you’re kind of thinking ‘if they score this, we’ll need to work this up for a goal’ but you’re still thinking they could potentially do it… but you didn’t want to be in that situation.

“Fair play to Brian Malocca, he’s only 19, this is his first year in goals. He got the kick-out to Paddy O’Reilly and every man who got on the ball in that move and thankfully Mark Stuart, who can always score from those positions, got on the end of it… The county board I’d say are well happy with a draw!”

Lifting the players to go again this Saturday will not be a challenge, he said.

“I wouldn’t think so. Breffni Park under lights, even though there was only a limited crowd here, there was still a great atmosphere. I think they’ll be alright for it.”

Meanwhile, in the blue corner, gregarious Kingscourt boss Lennon had mixed emotions.

“It was a rollercoaster sort of a game. You know something, I don’t know if I’m disappointed we didn’t get over the line or if I’m relieved that we’re getting another chance at it. I have to assess that situation when I get home.

“We were 1-5 to 0-1 down and I was delighted we were only seven down, it could have been a lot, lot more. I have to go home and watch the highlights but I felt Padraig Faulkner should have at least had one penalty in the first half.

“We had a mark there that Barry Reilly called late on and I thought it was a very controversial decision. Padraig Faulkner was man-handled a couple of time… Until I see them again, I was very disappointed with some of the decisions that were made out there today.

“The boys knew after the first water break they hadn’t played and we sort of steadied the ship a little bit from 16, 17 minutes on. We got a brilliant goal to get back into it after that.

“We were very happy at half-time, not the way we were playing but that we were still in the match and still had a chance to win the championship. I felt at half-time that if the boys went out and started well, we were going to be there or thereabouts.”

Kingscourt’s response to Cian Boylan’s goal early in the second half was superb.

“I don’t want to blow them up but the second half performance, I felt we were outstanding, we lorded the game. I don’t know what the stats are on possessions but Crosserlough were living on scraps like we were early on in the first half.”

Key to that was Padraig Faulkner. Asked about Faulkner and Peter Corrigan, Lennon was effusive in his praise.

“It’s no secret that Padraig wasn’t fit to give us an hour around the middle of the field today. He was struggling with injury all week, it actually was an unbelievable bonus to get Padraig Faulkner playing for Kingscourt today and I have to compliment him because a lot of other players probably wouldn’t have made it today.

“He came out and put in a serious shift. We were in all sorts of trouble in the midfield area – we were in all sorts of trouble everywhere early. But in the second half, after the early goal, we kept tagging on a couple of points and we were still in the game and I always felt if we could stay in it, we were going to be there or thereabouts.

“And then we just seemed to take over maybe from 12 minutes in the second half until late on, I thought we were completely dominant.

Peter Corrigan is a wonderful footballer. He has been very good, a sort of under-stated footballer, goes about his business. He looks like a lazy type footballer but when he gets the ball he has a wonderful spin and he drives at you and he has been crucial for us to get where we are today, without Peter playing the way he has, and a number of other men, we wouldn’t be where we are here in Breffni Park today.”

Kingscourt kept going for it, even when trailing, he said.

“Me and Derek don’t coach negative football, we coach positive football. To win county finals, you are going to need goals, you are not going to come over here and beat Crosserlough 13-12 and you’re not going to beat Cavan Gaels 12-11.

“Kingscourt have to get goals to win these games, we have to run at teams and take the game to people. You only get one chance at these county finals and there’s no point going home saying if we had done this or done that. We went out and were positive, even when we were seven points down, we stayed positive and that’s the way it’s been all year and hopefully it will continue next week.

“I am delighted that we are still in the championship, I’m gutted we didn’t get over the line at the same time. Another week should help Padraig Faulkner but it’s not just him, we had a number of lads carrying injuries into the game. Joe Dillon had complications during the week and was hospitalised, my heart goes out to Joe Dillon, he couldn’t even come today.

“This week, if we can get Joe Dillon into this crowd last week to watch his club he has played for all his life it will be a bonus.

“It was a great game for the neutrals but for a manager, it wasn’t good for the heart. It’s another six or seven sleepless nights this week,” Lennon smiled.