O’Neill felt ‘gods were against Dingle’ before a ball was kicked

DINGLE Bay Rovers manager David O’neill said everyone involved in the club was devastated at their defeat and the circumstances in which it came.

“From the outset we felt the gods were against us when our pitch was deemed unplayable. My dad, Martin, and Declan Noonan put in a huge amount of work getting ready for the big game and the game had captured the imagination of the local community with people that had never been at a game set to attend.

“The pitch was okay on Saturday but heavy overnight rain took its toll. Our great run in the competition had raised the stature of the club enormously and this tie was the biggest game in the history of the club,” O’neill lamented.

“When we learned Mikey Geaney would not be available for the game it was a major set back but we knew we had the self belief to do the job required and with home advantage we were confident of getting the result we required. We also saw it as an opportunity to make some money at the gate and that was also taken away from us.

“When the game was transferred to Tralee we still remained positiive and stuck with our game plan. The lads were excellent in the first half but they just did not have that bit of luck on their side to get a goal,” the manager said.

“We knew the second half was going to be difficult against the wind but we were very strong at the back. We conceded a bad goal from a corner kick and this became our undoing. It was very disappointing to concede a goal like this as we had practiced so much on set pierce situations.

“The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow but we just have to take it on the chin and get on with our domestic competitions now. While it will take us a bit to get over this defeat our great run in the competition gave us great exposure and is something to build upon.

“We have eleven league games to play and our main concern now will be to stay in Premier A and make a big effort to win a Cup competition with our main target the Castle Bar Cup,” a disappointed, yet positive, O’neill added.