Dowd dismisses ‘roughing-up’ claims

SLANE referee David Gough will hardly be on Kevin Dowd’s Christmas mailing list after the Dunderry manager opined that his side was harshly treated by the man in the middle in Saturday’s final.

‘We were entitled to a penalty in the first half and I don’t think anything went right for us today and I don’t think the referee helped matters either,’ a dejected Dowd said after the defeat.

‘There were times there when we were entitled to frees and we just didn’t get them. We did waste too many chances, but the penalty in the first half would have made an awful difference, when a man is bundled over in the penalty area, and there was more than that. I wouldn’t be happy with the refereeing at all.

‘In the drawn match we we told that we were going out to rough up the Colmcille’s, but we have the cleanest record all year. We hadn’t a man sent off all year. We were being made out to be dirty - you can see we go for the ball hard and fair.

‘I suppose it was in the first half that we let the game slip. We had great chances and we probably didn’t get under the breaking ball in the full forward line. I would have no argument with the two sendings-off - the game was over at that stage.

‘There was three points in it at one stage and then it went to six, but we were still in it, but they sat back in the last 15 minutes and parked the bus and there was no chance of a goal.

‘Fair play to St Colmcille’s, though. They are a good football team, they are big and physical. They are going to be well able for senior football and best of luck to them in the future.’