Proved fatal
them to go defensive, which they did, and they got a little bit cynical with a couple of black cards.
‘We tried to get the ball in a bit earlier but ultimately, when you are not right at this level, you can be cut open.
‘There is no doubt that they won the middle battle. I think they got six or seven clean marks, which I haven’t seen in a game this season.
‘Really and truly, they kind of had it both ways; if they went long, they had lads in the middle, and if they went short, they had us there.’
In a game from which few positives could be taken, Burke made the point of highlighting the contribution of Gearóid Murphy as something to take away from it.
The Annacurra man got his first goal of the season in the second-half and Burke praised Murphy for rising to the occasion.
‘We know that Gearóid is a good player and he is going to play a lot of football with us this year. You could see that he had a few efforts that drifted wide. On another day, I would expect him to score those. He is a good footballer, is Gearóid; an accurate kicker and an accurate shooter.
‘Ultimately, the damage was long done before (Eoin) Darcy or Gearóid or Paddy O’Rourke, or any of them lads, took the field.’
Currently sitting in fourth place in the league, Wicklow next travel to rock-bottom London on February 29, before welcoming second-placed Antrim to Aughrim, and concluding their league with a trip to Wexford.
If they are to gain promotion to Division 3, Wicklow will more than likely need a minimum of two wins from their final three games, while they may also need to rely on results to go their way elsewhere.
However, when asked about their prospects for the remainder of the season, Burke refused to be drawn on looking beyond the upcoming trip to Ruislip.
‘We can’t afford to look anywhere else than every day from here on out.
‘We had a couple of decent wins in Aughrim and I think that people got a bit excited. You turn up to work every day, and you’ll compete; if you don’t turn up to work, then you won’t compete. It is as simple as that.
‘We’ll worry about London now. The minute we start worrying about Antrim, we’re gone.’