Tipp boss says warm-up area in Ennis not fit for sheep

Tipperary football boss Peter Creedon has claimed his side were forced to warm up on an “atrocious surface” before last Saturday’s Allianz FL Division 4 clash with Clare in Ennis.

Tipp selector Gerry McGill explained: “Before the game, our normal policy would be to walk the pitch and stretch but they wouldn’t open the gates.

“It was down to the fact that there was a hurling match there on the following day [Clare v Galway] but the pitch was in pristine condition on Saturday. They refused point blank to let us onto the pitch and they were quite rude about it. Clare themselves were in the same boat but where we had to warm up was a place at the back of the stand and it was nothing short of a disgrace. We wouldn’t do it to visitors.”

Creedon added: “You wouldn’t put sheep on it. We were told that they couldn’t open the gates but I had words with the person [in charge] there. They eventually opened up at a quarter to two, after 15 minutes of debate, and that’s the last thing you want to be doing preparing for a game. They wouldn’t let [coach] Michael O’Loughlin or [physical trainer] Alan O’Connor out to put out the cones for our warm-up.”