Manager praises team’s resilience in opening round
IT WASN’T a winning start but it wasn’t a losing one either.
The Sligo Ladies Footballers got a draw from last Sunday’s weather-lashed game in
Ferbane, an absorbing 1-8 to 1-8 share of the spoils with Offaly that left team manager Cormac Reape with mixed emotions afterwards.
“The initial feeling is that maybe we didn’t deserve to win it in parts but we definitely didn’t deserve to lose it,” said the Knockmore native.
“Given the conditions and the weather, everything was so tight. There is a very disappointed Sligo dressing-room – they wanted to win, they weren’t happy to come down here [Ferbane] and just get a draw.
“That shows, as a group, what they want to achieve – hopefully there is more to come from them.”
Reape, who was appointed at the end of March in 2023 and so is facing into his first
Lidl Ladies National Football League, was pleased with how Sligo reacted to the concession of a first-half goal. “In previous games when we’ve conceded a goal like that the heads would go down – but here we bounced back and within a few minutes we had the ball in the back of the Offaly net.
He also commented on the defensive resilience shown in the closing stages when Offaly were foraging for free that, if converted, would have put them in front.
“In Offaly’s last play, when they had possession for a few minutes, we could have dived in and conceded a free, everyone stayed switched on and eventually we turned over the ball.
“There are lots of positives from this game – it was a draw but we are heading in the right direction.”
Team captain Claire Dunne was also enthused by the result.
“This was our first day out so we really wanted to get a good start. With a number of new players in the team it was great to get a point. We have some serious players in this team and I can’t fault anyone in terms of the effort.”
The team’s effort was also mentioned by vice-captain
Nicola Brennan, who started at full-forward. “I think both teams were evenly-matched. We put in an unbelievable performance – I think it would have been unfair if either team had lost. We are happy to have something on the board.
She continued: “A lot of the younger players brought energy to this game and they also did very well in what was a highintensity game. There is a lot of stuff for Cormac [Reape] and Ruaidhri [O’Hara] to look at and improve on. We will try to be as competitive against Clare.”
Next up for Sligo is this Sunday’s round two game away to Clare (Clarecastle, 12 noon).
Clare, last year’s Division Three finalists, coasted to a nine-point win last Sunday when they won 1-7 to 0-1 away to Wexford.
In the first round of the 2023 campaign, which took place at Curry GAA Club’s pitch, Sligo – then managed by Anthony Brennan – lost by 19 points to Clare, 3-15 to 0-5. Only five players that started that fixture against Clare – Ellen McGuire, Claire Dunne, Tara Breheny, Sinead Regan and Leah Duffy – were in the starting XV last Sunday.