Savage stuff from brave Garden men
ANTRIM WICKLOW 0-12 0-12
THE Wicklow Senior footballers could look back on their battling performance against Antrim in Corrigan Park as the turning point in their season.
Having let slip a chance for victory against Waterford in their opener and falling so meekly to London the previous week, this game was make or break for John Evans’ men, and make it they most certainly did.
Ok, Antrim had what looked to be a very scorable free at the death which CJ McGourty inexplicably dropped short, but Wicklow deserved a share of the spoils from this game at the very least after their passionate and organised 70 minutes of football in freezing conditions, in front of a vocal home crowd, down to 13 late on and being constantly fustrated and thwarted by referee Niall McKenna’s decision making.
This was a completely different Wicklow outfit to the last two games in terms of passion, drive, heart and organisation. John Evans has looked long and hard at this by the looks of things and a structure is now taking shape, defensive though it might be, but all anyone wants to see is a team competing and if the same gusto and appetite is brought to the table in the remaining NFL Division 4 games it will take a very good performance from Laois, Carlow Limerick and Leitrim to get high scores on the board against the Wicklow men.
Granted Wicklow will struggle to post high tallies themselves as they struggle to turn defence into attack, but that maneuver will be honed as time goes on and in Seanie Furlong and Mark Jackson, Wicklow possess two superb free-takers to punish any transgression within 45 yards.
What impressed most as the bitterly cold wind whipped down off the mountain in Belfast was the attitude and character shown by the Wicklow players. Even the total and absolute commitment by the selectors and John Evans himself was wonderful to see. Leighton Glynn kicked every ball with the players, urged them on constant- ly, tore them new rear ends at times, but showed that savage enthusiasm and his endless will to win. Evans paced the sideline, feverishly roaring on his charges, barking out commands, disputing some of the bizarre decisions by the referee.
Wicklow had a plan. We watched them against Carlow in the O’Byrne Cup where a plan looked like some exotic thing only other teams were allowed to have, where Wicklow players struggled across the 45-yard-line with nowhere else to go only to be turned over and ruined at the back on the counter-attack.
Sunday’s performance was full of purpose. Players were in constant communication with each other. If you weren’t where you were expected to be one of your colleagues was going to let you know fairly lively. Everyone besides Seanie Furlong and Darren Hayden worked back all the time when Antrim had the ball. And when necessary, both Furlong and Hayden also retreated, meaning at times Wicklow had the full 15 behind the ball. It mightn’t have been pretty, but listen, if you can stand up and honestly say that to leave Corrigan Park on Sunday having been defeated yet having played some idealistic brand of football is better than leaving with a point and seeing Wicklow players bristling with confidence for the first time in three years then fair play to you.
So effective was the defence that Antrim didn’t really get in for a clear-cut goal chance in this game. Openings did present themselves briefly but were shot down mercilessly.
There were plenty of changes to the starting 15. Ross O’Brien was at centre-half back and it’s great to see the Rathnew man in his natural home. Jamie Snell is looking very comfortable at full-back and the warrior Ciaran Hyland and Hollywood’s Harry Wilson put in serious shifts at the back, with Wilson sweeping at times.
Pat Burke and John Crowe looked willing and able to break forward from half-back in the opening half, Burke making way for Dunlavin’s Eoin Murtagh after 29 minutes.
Rory Finn got through an enormous amount of work in Corrigan Park. The burly midfielder popped up late on for that sweet equalising score off his trusty left but that was just the icing on the cake for a monster shift from the Kiltegan man.
His midfield colleague James Stafford still commands such respect and showed at times that he has so much still to give to the Garden County cause.
Dean Healy was stationed at centre-half forward despite being named at six and the St Pat’s man was superb in this game. Picked up an early yellow but kept an eye on himself for the rest of the game and drove hard and fast at Antrim every chance he got and defended like a demon at all other times.
Cathal Magee, Mark Kenny and Donard-The Glen’s Conor Healy were the work horses and work they did; Healy grabbing a beauty of a point to cap a quality display. Daniel Keane came in for Magee early in the second and the Éire Óg Greystones man looked very impressive until he picked up an injury in what was becoming a very aggressive game. Avondale’s Conor Byrne took his place and he really impressed, winning lots of dirty ball, holding possession, making passes, winning frees. Byrne had a very positive quarter of an hour on the field.
Possession is always going to be scarce for the inside men when a team plays this type of football but Seanie Furlong showed what he is capable of on more than one occasion in this game, his first score proving that point when he caught high behind Patrick Gallagher from a Conor Healy ball, strode inwards towards goal and swung over a beauty after two minutes.
The role and importance of Darren Hayden can’t be overstated. The Éire Óg man has a savage engine and he will run all day. Now on the close-in frees on the left, this responsibility will sit well with a man who always gives his all and his intelligence will compliment Seanie Furlong’s natural ability inside.
Without a shadow of a doubt the first 10 minutes belonged to Wicklow and saw them open a 0-04 to 0-00 lead with Furlong adding to his opener with a converted free and the capable Mark Jackson