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.