‘We got a sucker punch early’
THE long trip to Aughrim finished in defeat for Sligo, despite promising much more during the first half of a Division Four clash that puts Sligo in third with two wins and a loss from their opening three fixtures.
A powerful Wicklow performance in the second half left a five-point gap between the sides when the final whistle sounded – and for Sligo boss Paul Taylor, there were no complaints about the result.
“We came here today knowing what we were going to face,” Taylor said afterwards as Storm Dennis continued to blow outside the dressing rooms.
“We certainly got it out there today. They were very physical, very fit, we said they would be, we said they would be quick.
“There was a big breeze in the game too and Wicklow playing with it in the first half certainly helped but having said that they deserved to win the game.”
Sligo were left frustrated at many of the decisions taken by referee Kevin Faloon – and while Taylor too was left aghast at some of the calls, he said the major difference was Wicklow’s greater appetite.
“The ref didn’t lose us the game but I thought there were some poor decisions from the referee, some really poor decisions. But Wicklow won the game on merit today, they worked an awful lot harder than we did on and off the ball, stopped us and spoiled us.
“Wicklow are very tough side to beat down here, always have been in the past and always will be and they are genuine contenders in this division as well.
“I think there were a lot of home-town decisions and decisions for our lads to take but having said that when the referee makes a decision the referee’s decision is final and if you complain about that the ball is brought forward.
“There are days when things go against you and when things go for you and as I say in every game that you play and in every division no matter what team you are, you need that small bit of luck. We didn’t get that either but there’s a lot of games to play in this division yet, we look forward to them, we take what we can from today, we take whatever positive we can from today and we move on.”
Taylor praised the ability of his players to respond to the concession of an early goal and says his side can still earn promotion with a division that continues to surprise.
“I had said this during the week to the lads, ‘the wind won’t win you any game’ but the thing about this division is if you can build a bit of a lead and get a bit of momentum it’s great.
“We got a sucker punch at the start of the game but we recovered well from it but at the same time it was a goal we shouldn’t have given away.
“We did recover well, with 25 minutes played we were two points up and it would’ve looked good at that stage but you see results in this division; teams playing with or against the breeze and they might be a point up or a point down at half time, I don’t think it’s making that much of a difference.
““It’s desire to win and it’s work rate and it’s hunger and it’s discipline as well and Wicklow had that in buckets today and we were just below the level we needed to be.
“You’re not going to go out and win every game in this division either but we have a big game this week against Waterford home in Sligo.
“We have to take what we can out of today – the biggest lesson for us is work rate and this side learning what it takes in certain places like this all around the country, this is what Division Four is about,” he added.
Sligo welcome Waterford to Markievicz Park on Saturday with a throw-in time of 2pm.