Still there - two words Mulgrew must drill into his players

ALL fairy-tales have an element of suspense, but Fermanagh took that to extremes in Croke Park yesterday.

In control for much of the second half, they wrought every emotion from their supporters. The players looked drained afterwards, as did Charlie Mulgrew.

“I suppose it is a case of so near and yet so far. I am disappointed we didn’t take some of the chances at the end but a slight bit of relief balances that out. Mayo had a chance to win it,” said Mulgrew.

And so, an unplanned chapter is inserted into this incredible story next Saturday. Draws can do funny things to the minds of players. While the Mayo players bounced from the dressing-room, happy just to escape, the body language of some of the Fermanagh players told a different story. With a little more composure, they could be in an All-Ireland final this morning.

“We probably had the best chances to win the game,” Stephen Maguire admitted. “There were a couple at the end, but we battled hard and played with great spirit and we are still there.”

Still there. Two words Mulgrew will hammer into his players this week. “Everyone is a little disappointed in there,” the manager said.

“But we talked about some of the good points of the game and some of the bad points. Maybe, we should have had a bit more variety in our attack.

“We were trying to play it down the flanks all the time and with the conditions out there, it was difficult to shoot from the wings. We should have tried to drive it down the middle a bit more.

“But the conditions were difficult for both sides, they were slippery under-foot and there was a swirly breeze It probably wasn’t much of a spectacle.”

Although we did come expecting more from the two most stylish footballing teams of the summer, the occasion was still exciting and there were superb individual displays.

Barry Owens was the undisputed man of the match.

All summer, big reputations have been perched on his shoulder at the edge of the square. All summer, he has filleted those reputations.

“We could have won it, but so too could have Mayo.

“We did have the better chances and there were a couple of rushed shots there at the end.

“That is something we are going to have work on this week, our shooting,” Owens said.

Had Fermanagh let the game earlier slip, one incident 15 minutes from the end would have caused serious consternation around places like Tempo.

Conor Mortimer, surrounded by three Fermanagh backs including Owens, barged his way through them. The referee, 70 yards away from the play, awarded Mortimer a free which he struck over.

It put Mayo ahead by a slender margin and could have cost the Ulster side the game.

“It was a strange decision but you get those in these sort of games,” Owens said. “We might have got a few, too. The really disappointing thing is that we didn’t perform like we can do. I think that was our worst performance of the summer.

“I don’t know why that was. There were no nerves before the game. Everyone was relaxed, hopefully it will be something we can get right for next week.

“Mayo will feel they have an awful lot of improving to do, but so too do we.”

With another captain’s display from centre-back behind him, Shane McDermott is one of the last to leave the Fermanagh dressing-room.

McDermott wanted to focus on the positives from the encounter: “A draw is a funny thing. You feel strange after it, there is both disappointment and relief. We are still there, we mightn’t have been because Mayo had a chance or two to win it as well.”

“I think all the players know we are capable of more. Of course, Mayo will be saying the same thing.

“When they lost their man, we were a wee bit all over the place for a while. It took us some time to settle, but there are things that we can work on.”