Dempsey: Self-belief the key

EVEN though he expressed disappointment his team hadn’t won, Seán Dempsey’s jovial disposition betrayed a sense of relief at still being involved in the Leinster championship.

They may have arrived in Croke Park with the intention of downing Meath but the truth is that they needed a type of grit not always associated with Laois to ensure another shot at the Royals.

Still though, the manager was keen to show his team’s lofty ambitions when discussing the near-catastrophic mistake by goalkeeper Mickey Nolan that presented Cormac McGuinness with that 86th minute goal.

“Mickey’s after promising to buy the lads a drink”, said Dempsey, pausing for dramatic effect before adding the punchline. “In September when I let them back on it!”

He had sympathy for the Portlaoise man though. “It would have been a cruel way to lose it, for anyone to make a slip-up that cost a team a game is a bad way to go but thankfully it didn’t happen.”

It didn’t happen because Laois held their composure and refused to wilt. And Dempsey said it was exactly what he expected of his charges.

“I knew we had time and the lads were after coming from five points down (in normal time) and I felt the three points wasn’t beyond us once we got dug in and could get moving.

“I’ve more belief in these fellas than that. There’s no lack of belief in the dressing room.”

Laois were the authors of much of their attacking misfortune for the opening 50 minutes in particular, as they dwelt on the ball in possession.

This was not what Dempsey wanted with Donie Kingston inside and especially when he was joined by Padraig Clancy.

“It wasn’t that we over-elaborated but the man in possession was just trying to be too sure of it. If you want quick ball in you won’t get 100% accuracy, you just let it in and we were trying to get the perfect ball in.”

The depth of his panel was evident too with Pádraig Clancy, Michael John Tierney, John O’Loughlin and Paul Lawlor – who retreated to make a stupendous block on Peadar Byrne in the final act of normal time – all making major contributions.

“We feel we have cover for every position on the pitch. We have people on the sideline that we have no hesitancy putting in.”

His captain Pádraig McMahon may be quiet-spoken but he led from the front. Undeterred by a wound that required stitching, he scored the goal that breathed life and belief into Laois and also curbed the threat of Joe Sheridan.

“I was just in the right place at the right time”, was the modest response when asked about his strike.

“I was just happy to get it, it was badly needed. I thought the chance had got away X but I got it under control and decided I’d have a go.”

He is confident the 90 minutes in the bank will bring Laois on for the replay. “The game they had against Offaly stood to them. They got off the blocks much quicker than we did so we’re happy to be still in the Leinster championship and we’ve a game under our belt now.”