Battle cries already aired for replay

FIGHTING talk was thick on the ground in O’Moore Park after this roller-coaster of a midland derby, as Offaly’s Ciaran McManus and manager Paul O’Kelly eschewed the cliches usually associated with post-game press gatherings.

Fittingly, it was the Faithful’s driving force, McManus, who set the tone after the game, just as he had done during the entire 70 minutes on the pitch. McManus looked every inch the warrior as he stood underneath the cavernous new stand in Portlaoise, his bare chest already betraying the bumps and bruises picked up in this intoxicating draw. “It was looking bad for us after they got that goal alright, but luckily enough, we got the last score,” the Tubber native admitted.

“It was a very tough game and they came back at us well in the second-half, but I thought we did very well for long spells and that was our first game in a while. Now we’ll see what happens on Monday week,” he added ominously, a clear battle cry for what is already an eagerly-awaited rematch in Tullamore.

McManus’ manager, Paul O’Kelly, spoke with as much passion as the midfielder and insisted that his side, short on recent match practice and displaying a new youthful complexion, would only be better for the replay. “The difference was that we hadn’t played enough matches. Not having played as much serious, competitive football as Laois was our serious undoing in the second-half. It was difficult to keep the concentration going for 70 minutes but I think we’ll learn an awful lot from that. A lot of our younger players had fantastic displays out there, right from or goalkeeper, the full-back, John Reynolds and Niall McNamee. All these guys have brilliant futures ahead of them. When the future happens is another question.”

Across the corridor, the Laois players weren’t pounding the battle drum to the same extent as their neighbours, but the general feeling was that Offaly had missed a glorious chance to burst their bubble. With the favourites’ tag likely to be more hotly contested next time out and Offaly’s cards now on the table, the feeling was that it may just suit Mick O’Dwyer’s team better.

O’Dwyer himself regaled the usual captive audience with his weekly mix of banter and non-information. “There’s always room for improvement,” said the Kerryman and how true that little nugget was at least.

The O’Moore players were divided about just how important their early sluggishness was to the overall result. “We always seem to start slow against Offaly every day,” admitted corner-back Joe Higgins. “We’re the sort of team that does need a good start to get ourselves motoring but we came back well in the second half, we came good and had them under pressure for most of the second-half.”

How Offaly found themselves being one point down with barely time to breath was another matter, but O’Kelly preferred to dwell on the positives.

“As Mick O’Dwyer knows you never have a match won until the final whistle,” the Edenderry man pointed out. “With a bit more experience we would have had that (Laois) goal closed out but it didn’t happen. It showed our determination after they got that goal. We worked the ball brilliantly down the field to come back.”