O’Brien feels it’s one that got away
Sports reporter
KEVIN O’Brien has told anyone who will listen about the potential within this minor team.
After the match he spoke to us about his disappointment which was evident by his body language.
“I thought we played really well. The lads are tired in there, they worked really hard. Obviously we were a man down at half time but we weren’t going to use that as an excuse, it happened and we have to move on.
“They really pushed on and could have got something in the end. In fairness to them they put in a massive performance.”
O’Brien watched Offaly play in the previous weeks and prepared his team to win.
He hopes to take the positives from the defeat and reproduce those positives in later matches with a different result.
“I knew if we could tie up a couple of their lads that we’d be well in it. I think we got our subs right and we got a lot right. But it’s still hard to take. It’s two points gone but it’s only one of five matches. I think if we can get a bit of confidence from it, and the guys need that, we can be super competitive. That’s one of the most important things.
“We’ve got to get back on the pitch on Thursday night and move on. We have four matches left. We want to be in the mix in the end. This is a great bunch of lads and they work extremely hard.”
He is looking forward to the next two matches against Louth and Westmeath and isn’t simply looking to be competitive, but to win. He wants to be in mix for the two qualifying spots from the group.
“Absolutely, after this performance. When the lads settle down and get rid of the initial disappointment they will realise they are good enough.
“The way they went at them, we had goal chances we missed in the second half with fourteen men, other teams would have dropped their heads, accepted it and lost by eight or nine points. They would have put it down to the loss of the man.
“We’ve Louth next and then Westmeath and hopefully we get something out of that. We hopefully will have a cracker with Dublin in Parnell Park. We’re not going to go away and if we keep working we’re bound to get some luck somewhere.”
The loss of Andy Foley before half time, a little bit of “red mist”, had a huge impact given he was the fulcrum of Wicklow’s game plan but O’Brien is in no mood to hang him out to dry, instead looking for his squad to step into the breach.
“Andy’s attitude has been outstanding all year, he’s like a leader. He knows it cost us but I certainly won’t be blaming Andy Foley for anything.
“He was a big loss and he’ll be a big loss next time. But it gives someone else a chance and I thought the subs that came on did very well and I thought any of the lads that didn’t get a run have got to step up to the plate on Thursday and push these guys.
“That’s what we want, a really competitive panel. We have thirty lads in there.”
O’Brien is keen to create a new identity for his team and not let the county’s history impact upon their belief or ability to win a match.
“This is a whole new identity for this group of players. What is happening in Wicklow, whether it is senior or U20 or other years is out of our control.
“We worry about what is in this dressing room. We make our own history. This is the stuff that we have control over, we can’t control anything else.
“The lads’ attitude has been fantastic, the Academy has ben fantastic, the county board has been outstanding. We get here [Aughrim] to train. Everybody is trying their best and it’s a real committed effort and that isn’t going to change.”