Winning habit pleases Goold

ALLIANZ FL DIVISION 1:

Fintan Goold offers an evaluation of and context for Cork’s win over Dublin last weekend in Croke Park and puts it all in perspective.

“It was a good win but we won’t lose the run of ourselves over a game in February,” said the Cork midfielder.

“We had a three-week break leading to the Dublin game, and we targeted it to a certain extent in that it’s a big game — you’re in Croke Park and you know there’ll be a bit of a crowd. We were able to get some work done on the training ground in the lead-up to it.

“It was a help too in that some of the lads had only played in Croke Park at underage level, so it was good experience for them.

“It was great to get a win because we’d have felt that even if we’d lost then people probably still would have said, ‘ah, it was a good performance, still’. In that sense it was good to win a game where there was a bit of bite with ten minutes to go and things were maybe going against us a little bit.”

Goold stressed the importance of victory to the team rather than a pat on the back for a performance: “When you’re involved, it’s about winning, no matter what people say, and as the cliche goes, winning is a habit.

“Last year in the league we were losing those kinds of games — take the defeat to Mayo down the Páirc last year, when a win might have put us in the knock-out stages. We let that one slip.”

With the winter departures from the panel, the Macroom man is one of the more experienced players left.

“I notice it now, much as you’d think you’re not there that long yourself there comes a time when you look around the dressing room and you go, ‘hey, is there anyone here longer than me’ and it hits home.

“It’s a natural progression. Some lads are very vocal almost as soon as they come into the dressing room, while others don’t tend to say much no matter how long they’re there. Each to their own.

“But certainly the lads who are there now, the young guys, they just go out and express themselves. The likes of Kevin Crowley, who I wouldn’t have seen a lot of, played with no fear, which was great to see.”

Some of that confidence stems from an impressive UCC win in the Sigerson, surely.

“We would all have watched that game, and similar to our game with Dublin, it was going against them (UCC) in the second half, and it takes character to turn that around. I don’t know if you can train that into people, they either have it or they don’t.

“Conor (Dorman) is involved with us and it was great seeing him come up the field to kick the winner, and as I said, winning is a good habit to pick up. A few years ago we were winning leagues with Cork and by the end of it people were nearly criticising us for it, but I think winning breeds confidence, particularly for a new management team.

“In that scenario if you lost your first few league games you’d be under pressure and there’d be comparisons made and all of that, so it’s good for Brian (Cuthbert) and the management to have points on the board.”

Tomorrow’s challenge is a good Derry side.

“They’ve drawn one and won two so they’re unbeaten, too, and they’ll be coming down for two points. They’ll be full of confidence, particularly after taking two points off Kerry, but hopefully we’ll have a bit of support after the win last week and with the double-header on. That brings its own bit of pressure, but we’ve a very good record at home in the last four or five years and we’ll be hoping to maintain that.

“We don’t want to make it easy for anyone to come down to Cork and win. Another two points will almost guarantee a top-four spot, and that’s what we want.”