The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Belief was key for Moynihan’s Rathmore men
WHILE he admitted the team did need a boost in morale at half-time, Rathmore manager Denis Moynihan praised his team for the manner of their comeback in Fitzgerald Stadium last Sunday.
“Things were a bit flat in the dressing room during the break but we told the players we felt they were good enough to turn it around once they believed in it themselves. Overall I thought the subs we brought in had a good impact and Shane Ryan is a great option for any team especially with his height.
“Mid Kerry had a lot of quality and they punished us for being slow in our play during the first-half by getting enough men back to stop us going forward,” he said.
When it came to the closing stages of the match, Moynihan admitted they he was surprised by how much Mid Kerry invited Rathmore on.
“A penalty is always a 50/50 chance and in fairness to Mark he has scored his last four. It was a good save by the goalie but the crucial thing is that we managed to get a score with the rebound to keep our momentum up.
“I was surprised with the amount of space we got towards the end but overall I feel we didn’t play well today and there is plenty of room for improvement before the semi-final next weekend.”
Mid Kerry manager James Sheehan was at a loss for words meanwhile to explain where it went wrong for his side.
“We just seemed to lose our shape towards the end, but I certainly wouldn’t feel that we invited Rathmore on too much. The players stuck to the way we wanted them to play. We played lovely, structured football in the first-half I felt but our shape just seemed to go towards the end,” he said.
While he agreed that Shane Ryan had a big impact on the game when introduced he also felt the loss of Nathan Breen was a setback for his side.
“Nathan was doing very well for us until he had to go off unfortunately and we missed him towards the end. We all needed time to think about where things go from here.
“It’s a great boost to the district that all the clubs will be available to Mid Kerry next year, but as regards my own future I’ll have to see and it might not even be my decision to make at the same.”