This article is from page 69 of the 2011-05-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 69 JPG
SO NEAR BUT yet so far for Ger O’Loughlin’s side who appeared to have the game and indeed Division 1 status at their mercy before a late collapse. This wasn’t Wexford all over again as Clare actually turned up this time and showed glimpses of a bright future that needs to be complimented by playing at the highest level.
It made defeat all the more gut wrenching and left supporters speechless as Kevin Downes scored a spectacular late goal to grab the headlines, much to the obvious disappointment of Clare manager Ger O’Loughlin who addressed the waiting media after a meeting with his players.
“We were two points up with I think 28 minutes gone in the second half and we conceded the goal at a vital time and in fairness to Limerick they took it well. You are not going to win too many matches when you concede four goals so that was the disappointing part of it.
“But I’m very proud of the lads, I thought they tried awful hard and for a long time in the game we took the game to Limerick and looked the better team. But again we need to be more clinical I suppose because for a period there in the second half we probably could have pushed on and won the game. But fair play to Limerick, they took their goals well and it’s young fellas that they have introduced that have shown the bottle tonight with Kevin Downes and Declan Hannon scoring those late goals. I’m very proud of our lads as well in the way they tried awful hard and wanted it badly but we just lost our way there for the last six or seven minutes and it cost us. Overall, goals win matches and Limerick took their goals well but unfortunately for us, it’s another year in Division 2 that we could have done without.”
And O’Loughlin was not about to sugar coat the loss with excuses of inexperience either.
“The guys that got the goals for Limerick were young lads and we have the same at the other side so I’m not using that as an excuse. I thought we didn’t play well in the first half and I thought in the second half we were completely transformed and for the guts of 27 or 28 mins, we took the game to Limerick for a lot of that. At times we looked sharper than Limerick and probably had a good few wides as well but we could of put them away and we probably should have and we will regret that but as I say, we will take a lot out of it but staying in Division 2 is the last thing we need really.”
It’s hard to envisage but with seven weeks to go to the Munster championship, can O’Loughlin take heart from the general improvement in performance at least?
“We will take an awful lot out of that. We need games like that and in a final such as that, you can see better speed and anyone who was at the game probably enjoyed it because there was good intensity in it. I think we just need to be playing better teams more often because that is how guys are going to come on as well. Whether that will happen now is doubtful but look, we have to take our beating tonight.
“We are licking our wounds again unfortunately but hopefully we will learn something out of it and we have to bounce back and see what the championship throws up for us.”