Longford host Louth today at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park at 2pm in the Lory Meagher Championship. Ahead of the game Tony Ghee spoke with the Longford manager Adrian Moran, and he agreed that the comeback victory from seven points down to beat Lancashire demonstrated the resilience and mental strength that exists within the squad.
Adrian: ‘Absolutely, it was a fantastic turnaround to win the match. There is great character within the group. They are a band of brothers who work hard for each other, and thankfully, they reaped the rewards in the last fifteen minutes. We thought at half-time that victory was within our grasp, the lads dug deep and got the result in the end.’
Tony: ‘That three minute spell where Cian Kavanagh got Longford’s first point from play on forty-seven minutes, and Lancashire then responded with their goal, that seemed to ignite the game and give Longford lift-off.’
Adrian: ‘Lancashire came here after losing last week knowing like ourselves, that defeat for either side would seriously leave ambitions of reaching the Lory Meagher Final hanging by a thread. Longford have great talent and we are trying to develop a brand of hurling that is different to what the lads are use to. We are getting the chances and converting most of our point opportunities, but we are not clinical enough with our goal chances. So, we will have to work hard on that aspect of our game during the week. We are all working really hard, the players and the management. We are also getting great support from the County Board and the likes of Clonguish, Slashers and Killashee in the use of their excellent facilities.’
Tony: ‘That purple patch scoring ten of the last eleven points produced some outstanding scores, especially, the two late frees from Paddy Lynam and the lead point late on from Aidan Sheridan.’
Adrian: ‘Aidan is typical of the character that I am speaking about. Aidan started last week, but he did not start this week. He came off the bench in a forward position today, whereas last week against Leitrim, he started at corner-back, and today against Lancashire, he got that great score to put us ahead. That’s typical of the character and spirit within the whole group. It doesn’t matter who gets the scores, as long as we win at the end.’
Tony: ‘There was one controversial incident in the first half when a push on Micheal Mulcahy should have resulted in a penalty, but it was not given.’
Adrian: ‘ Yes, it looked a penalty, but we didn’t get the call. Everyone has a different perspective and sometimes it is difficult for the man in the middle to see everything. We did get the rub of the green with some other calls, so it evens itself out. Micheal has not played much hurling recently due to injuries and exams, but it’s about the panel and we used three or four subs again today, and they all contributed to the win.’
Tony: ‘After conceding stoppage time goals against Fermanagh in the league final, and again to Leitrim in that one point loss in the opening Meagher Cup game, your heart must have been in your mouth when Lancashire launched that last-gasp free into the danger area.’
Adrian: ‘We have worked hard on those clutch defensive plays, and the defence definitely had a better structure today.’
Tony: ‘ Next up is Louth at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Saturday next. They were operating at a higher league level than Longford, playing in Division 3A, so a tough encounter awaits.’
Adrian: ‘Yes, it’s another massive challenge for us. Louth may have been playing in a higher division than ourselves, but I believe that our squad are capable of hurling at that level, so we have a good chance of victory against Louth. It’s championship hurling, so I am asking Longford GAA supporters to come out on Saturday and support the lads.’