Upbeat Gill says display will boost confidence for replay

MANY will say their chance has come and gone but Wicklow saw enough of themselves in adversity yesterday to believe they still have everything to play for in next weekend’s Leinster SFC replay in Parnell Park.

With 67 minutes played, Mick O’Dwyer’s team were three points to the good and on the verge of sealing a quarter-final place against Wexford.

With 70 minutes played they were a point down and staring the Tommy Murphy Cup in the face.

That they avoided the championship exit says a lot about this team’s character, according to Tommy Gill.

“We’re disappointed that we didn’t win, there is no point denying that,” said the Rathnew corner-forward. “We should have won the match but, having said that, to give up that goal and come back with the late score will do our confidence the world of good going into the match next week.”

Gill and his clubmate Leighton Glynn were the scene stealers on the day, leaving their more rated counterparts at the far end in the shade. Only three wides blotted Gill’s copybook.

“It’s all about team performance. I can only do things based on what the lads give me in. We played great football out the field and the ball coming in was great. That made it easy for me.”

Had more of his colleagues brought their shooting boots, Wicklow would have been celebrating a famous victory last night. The first quarter saw them build a three-point lead but they turned their noses up at four points and a few goals in the same spell.

Nerves played a part in both camps, Gill admitted, but he was determined to put a positive spin on a day where Wicklow surpassed everyone’s expectations.

“Football is a very strange game. You sometimes get chances like that and we would have been six or seven points ahead had we taken a few of them but we didn’t. The positive thing is that we didn’t drop the heads. We kept playing football. That’s the most important thing.”

Mick O’Dwyer emerged from the dressing room with a wry smile and admitted he had hoped to be the man that helped Wicklow break their Croke Park hoodoo. He had nothing but praise for his charges.

“So near and yet so far,” he laughed. “It was a very lucky goal for them that changed the game. We had played so well but I was delighted with the way that team played.

“They played with their heart. They played with fire and gave it everything. These are players that weren’t rated by most people – especially you scribes – so keep doing that, keep writing us off.”

Gill and Thomas Walsh received verbal pats on the back for their contributions but O’Dwyer nipped in the bud any attempts to paint the game as another colourful chapter in his long and winding career.

“It’s not about taking charge of Kerry, Wicklow, Laois or Kildare. It makes no difference to me. When I am in charge of a team I do my best. I have worked very hard with this team with my back-up team.

“They are not even near where they could be at this stage but, if we could get a run in the championship we would get better as we go on. We could give a few more teams a bit of a fright. It’s early days yet."