Carew cites lack of intensity as game changer
SLIGO manager Niall Carew wasn’t shy about calling out his players for their lack of intensity in last Sunday’s Allianz league encounter with Offaly, citing their lack of desire as the main reason for their failure to record a second successive win over Midlands’ opposition.
“They showed a bit more desire than we did” was his verdict after the two point defeat. “We weren’t up to the pace of the Westmeath game, in terms of desire more than anything.
“I think that’s what let us down, as well as our decision making.
“Decision making is a two way thing, if you don’t have support play coming off the shoulder and you don’t have options, it can make you look bad on the ball,” reflected the disconsolate Kildare native.
The concession of four points in the first five minutes was also a huge bugbear for Carew, as it left his side with a lot of work to do simply to get back on level terms.
“We probably had a sense of entitlement coming up here,” he claimed. “That showed in the first couple of minutes when we went four points down.
“We were playing catch up, we got a point ahead a couple of times but we didn’t take our goal chances so we struggled then.
“We struggled in that department – we kicked fourteen points and missed about four goal opportunities but they missed a lot of scoring opportunities for points, I don’t think they had a goal chance other than the one they got.”
Both managers were a little disappointed with the performance of referee Eamonn O’Grady, with Pat Flanagan expressing his shock at a first half free count of 19- 6 in favour of Sligo, while Carew felt that the dismissal of Niall McNamee with ten minutes to play encouraged the Leitrim man to lean towards Offaly in the closing stages.
“They had a man sent off and we were never going to get a free after that.” The likelihood is that this result will leave Sligo needing to win their last four games to get back in the hunt for promotion, while the loser of next week’s home tie vs Longford will be in real relegation trouble.
Carew also highlighted how one of his leading attackers will miss the contest, a sore loss in a game between two sides that have scored just one goal between them in the Allianz League so far. “Longford’s a massive game now.
“They’re all big games, but yeah, it’s certainly a big game.
“We won’t have Kyle Cawley on Sunday because he’s playing on Saturday, we wouldn’t expect him to play two games running like that.
“That’ll be a loss as well,” Niall concluded.
Sligo host Longford on Sunday in a much- needed win.