As a man who doesn’t make excuses but who is also known for his straight talking, Pete McGrath knew he was treading a fine line after the defeat to Galway.
Eager not to paper over cracks that appeared in his team’s performance, he also could not betray the belief that the black card to Fermanagh captain Eoin Donnelly had a major bearing on the game.
On the call itself the Down native was bemused to see his skipper issued with the black card after only eight minutes;
“It was for nothing really. This is a player who was being badgered off the ball the whole game against Down and it was beginning to happen again on Sunday and for his game to end like that was just wrong.”
Donnelly’s dismissal forced a rejig in an Erne line up that had already saw the withdrawal of Mickey Jones from the full back line due to injury: “Eoin going off meant we had to move Aidan Breen to midfield from half forward which curtailed his threat somewhat while Barry Mulrone had already moved to the full back line with Michael Jones being out so he was also missing from the middle third,” McGrath stated before adding;
“There was a knock on effect and while we tried manfully and did keep Galway at bay for a time I do feel that had Eoin been on the pitch I don’t think Galway would of had that dominance, especially from kick outs.”
Not wanting to pin the defeat on one refereeing decision however McGrath was quick to point out the fact that Fermanagh were second best to the Connacht men in the second half;
“They got through too easily for our liking and that is something that needs rectified. We were overrun in that second half and that is something that we have to accept has happened and try and remedy it for the Cork game.”
The goal just after half time was a turning point in the game according to the Fermanagh manager and he also explained that Galway did pick up the pace considerably in that second half.
“The goal was a real hammer blow for us. If we had been able to keep them at bay even for another ten or 15 minutes it would have been a very different game. As it was it gave them a real lift and from their point of view they played considerably better in the second half, all be it we were not as good,” said McGrath.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom however for Fermanagh and McGrath feels that the performance of one forward in particular is cause for optimism.
“I felt Eddie Courtney was very dangerous, particularly in the first half when we got good quality ball in. He was also good against Down although perhaps not everything went for him. It is no secret that we have been looking for another scoring forward and Eddie has certainly shown that he has the capability. He has trained hard and it is up to him now to keep improving.”
Turning his attention to the long trip south in ten days time The two time All Ireland winning manager was pleased that the team will have some time to regroup before heading to the Rebel county.
“The two week break is helpful because it allows us to get some things right from the Galway game, it will give the likes of Ryan Jones and Mickey Jones time to get themselves fit for the game, and Eoin McManus too and also the fact we at travelling down on the Saturday means we can get really prepared for what lies ahead.”
And McGrath contends that there is no sense of trepidation as the next test looms on the horizon;
“I would not fear Cork. If we can take them on and play the game on our terms then we have a very good chance of winning and I feel we should being going down there full of confidence. The Galway game is over, a lot of things conspired against us and also, we have areas to improve on. Now it is on to Cork.”
McGrath will know another defeat to Cork will put his side under real pressure. An impressive Kildare side await in another away trip in round four and Fermanagh will not want to get drawn into the quagmire of a relegation battle. A victory down by the Lee will help allay those fears.