This article is from page 71 of the 2011-03-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 71 JPG
IT WAS a bit like Groundhog Day in Dr Cullen Park on Sunday. Not only because for the second straight away game Clare were reduced to 13 men for off-the-ball incidents, only to dig deep and almost snatch somethng from the game, but it also brought back painful memories of the Carlow clash two years ago in Miltown when a flurry of dismissals saw Clare’s promotion chances sink before they even set sail.
Such indiscipline is undoubtedly frustrating for manager Micheál McDermott and his backroom team as they know that Clare should be entering the London game in a fortnight’s time with a perfect record of three victories. McDermott didn’t hide his feelings afterwards.
“It’s a huge disappointment because when you turn the clock back 12 months, these were the games we were winning by a point and things just don’t seem to be going our way.
“Okay, we had two red cards again today and I didn’t see the incidents but there seems to be question marks surrounding both of them as regards what’s a red card offence and what’s not a red card offence.
“We seem to be punished and yet on the other side of it and I don’t want to be giving out about referees the whole time, but Gary Brennan gets a belt in the jaw going for a ball and it’s a yellow card.
“All you ask for is fair play because to be fair to all the players today, despite going down to 13, they tried their hearts out yet again and it’s awful frustrating and awful disappointing for them to put up with that Sunday after Sunday.
“And it goes back to what I have said about Division 4 refereeing. If that was a Division 1 game today, that wouldn’t have happened and there would not have been two send- ing offs.”
And yet when Rory Donnelly grabbed a goal just after the break, Clare led by four and seemed to have the upper hand on their opponents despite playing into the conditions and having only 14 men.
“It did look good at that stage and we really raised the tempo when we down to 14 men and worked extremely hard.
“We made a couple of changes for strategy purposes as well to try and lift the siege and try to maybe drive at them a little bit more against the wind. But when we went down to 13 it was always going to be difficult. But we actually had chances there near the end. David O’Brien had a one-on-one with the keeper and the keeper made a great save and Shane Brennan was very, very unfortunate that the crowded goalmouth just got the wrong side of him and they came out and got the winning score.”
Despite the circumstances of Clare’s second loss, McDermott is still hopeful that they could possibly snatch a promotion spot but it will need a flawless finish to the campaign for that to happen.
“We are still in the campaign and if we win every match, we may get promoted and that’s the way we are going to have to approach every match. Every match is a big, big match for us starting with London. We have three games at home which is good and we need to win all those three games and then see where it’s going to bring us coming into that last two games in the campaign.”
Having shot themselves in the foot twice, any further slip-ups will certainly spell an end to Clare’s promotion hopes for 2011.
30 minutes
Clar e ar e on a r oll and in a back t o fr ont move t hat involved Mar k Tubr idy and Alan Clohessy, capt ain Ror y Donnelly finishes over t he bar from 45 met r es.
Clare 0-7
Carlow 1- 3 38 minutes Clar e ar e r ocked by John Hayes’ dismissal and aft er a foul by Har t net t , Pat r ick Foley put s over a fr ee t o cut t he deficit t o only t he minimum at t he br eak.
Clare 0- 8
Carlow 1- 4 32 minutes Ror y Donnely r aces t hr ough on goal but his shot t akes a deflect ion for a ‘45 t hat Alan Clohessy conver t s for Clar e’s fift h successive point in a 12 minut e spell.
Clare 0- 8
Carlow 1- 3 37 minutes Despit e being shy a man and playing int o t he wind, Clar e get t he per fect st ar t t o t he second half when subst it ut e Shane Br ennan t ees up Ror y Donnelly.
Clare 1- 8
Carlow 1- 4