Driscoll: Town ‘capable of winning a county’

A lot of the build-up had focused on Sarsfields’ previous final experience — it was their fourth final since 2008, whereas it was Bishopstown’s first ever.

Town manager Peter Driscoll didn’t feel it had a bearing on the outcome, however, as his side had done themselves proud especially in the first half when they outplayed their opponents.

“I think it’s over-emphasised,” he said.

“We came out well in the first half, the wind was a factor but we settled well and we went in two points up. I don’t think the nerves got to us.

“The lads are very clued-in that way so I don’t think it was a problem.”

Having gone in leading by 0-9 to 0-7 at half-time, however, Bishopstown found themselves squeezed in the second half as Sarsfields upped their intensity levels considerably. Bishopstown players in possession had less time on the ball and the wastefulness that saw Sars shoot eight first-half wide was severely reduced.

“They seemed to have an extra man on the field,” Driscoll said.

“Their workrate was colossal, it was something that we thought we had, but they outdid us, I felt.

“We’ll have to sit down and look at it but I just felt they were everywhere, they always had an extra man, their hooking and blocking was exceptional, there were fellas under pressure every time we had the ball.

“They man-marked a lot of our men and did very good jobs on them.”

Bishopstown can console themselves with the fact that things are in a far healthier position than this time last year, when they barely avoided relegation by beating Ballinhassig.

The key thing, in Driscoll’s view, is to make sure that losing a final is only part of the journey rather than the terminus.

“This is the important thing I think, to get up and running straightaway and get back into it again,” he said.

“I don’t know who’s going to be here next year, but I just said it to the lads inside that it’s very important for them to work at this. There is a team capable of winning a county here. You look at the Sars team, they have three titles in the last five years, we have to look up at them and admire them as well.”