NFL Division 3 2012

[mylestheslasher]

Impressive win for Longford there. Seems Cavan had Wexford there for the taking at one point and got hit for a quick 1-02 and it was game over. Letting in 4 goals is worrying. Next Saturdays game at home to Longford is now a must win game if we aim to get promoted. Should be a good match.

[spectator]

Caruso Dineen put in one of his best performances in the county jersey, Devanney was a serious danger all day and McDermott exerted alot of influence in these second half.

Seanie Mac well up there as MOM contender for me - Tipp put it up to us today and came back from behind several times to almost reel us in. They look like they might need a Plan B when it comes to their style of play though as most teams know how to defend against them at this stage. Indiscipline and a lack of clinical finishing didn't help them today either, but teams will know they're in a game when playing Tipp & I can see them still being well up there when it comes to the shake out. Fair play to the James Horan and the Mayoites for putting out such a strong team against our depleted panel in the FBD, that game and the way we had to battle back in the second half in Ballinlough really stood us in good stead for today's contest!

[anglocelt39]

Jaysus lads granted some fans are unreal dedicated but it you're a county footballer doing what you should be doing then you are putting in a serious effort and I think supporters should remember that too.

I agree 100% Myles. Try not to be too hard on them 

Subtlety does not tend to get noticed very well Haranguer but good observation nonetheless.

[mylestheslasher]

You may have noted the line "doing what you should be doing". I have the height of respect for them lads.

[SLIGONIAN]

Jaysus lads granted some fans are unreal dedicated but it you're a county footballer doing what you should be doing then you are putting in a serious effort and I think supporters should remember that too.

I agree 100% Myles. Try not to be too hard on them 

Subtlety does not tend to get noticed very well Haranguer but good observation nonetheless.

Thats a fair point but they get alot more than fans out of it imo, in terms of social status, health benefits, buzz playing in front of big crowds etc... all we were saying is give 100% is all we fans expect as a minimum.. and Sligo did do that last night, fair play.

[Gold]

Fantastic result last night with a fantastic finish. Free 50metres out with last kick to win it by Tomas McCann

Great start for the Saffrons

I think a draw would have been a fair result,  The free that Antrim got to win was not a free.   The ref called Harrisson for throwing the ball which he did not.
Terrible call, with 10 seconds left and sligo attacking.

It's time to get some right referees.  Good luck to Antrim, but it hard losing on a call like that.

I dont blame the ref at all, Antrim deserved the win, should of been out of sight before we got going, tomas mccann was outstanding, i'll be sending the usual pm's on the sligo side of things as i wont comment publicly anymore on players. Management are continuing to be a joke though but no doubt they'll try and scapegoat the ref for there own shortcomings.

The ref was pathetic but he gave us some soft frees to go 10-7 up but he didnt decide the game imo. He was terrible for both sides. We could of won the game no doubt, but why have any sympathy for us repeating same mistakes over and over again, im so bored with it now.

Completely agree--ref did not decide the game. He did give ropey enough frees for both sides but the match was not the hardest to ref and there wasnt any big flashpoint incidents-penaltys, penalty calls or sendings off. It was certainly not on the  Colm Cooper scale of give a man 6 frees for nothing cause of his name v us in Tullamore 09.

We shouldv'e been out of sight but messed about shouting from stupid angles whilst Sligo scored nearly any time they got the ball. We died for first 20 mins of 2nd half.

Tomas stood up and was a great leader. He started in FF line but no doubt serves us best out at half forward when his surging Darren O'Sullivan style runs make all the difference.

Paddy Cunningham isnt working at CHF. He cant win ball at FF so is now out at CHF. He appears to have a Stevie G/David Beckham type ego where he has to hit every free--running 20 metres back to take a free to where he was in the first place. As he's now at CHF he thinks he has to hit every ball--mostly long and too often when it's not on--he's not Greg Blaney --when a simple handpass is on he should take it. We carried him last night and cant afford to keep doing so.

Where we broke down was at half forward. James Loughrey is an outstanding half back but i feel his surging pace and power which always breaks the tackle is best served at half forward. In 2010 when we finished top of Div 3 he was our most potent attacking threat--he broke the gain line so many times, then laid it off to someone to stroke it over. In fact the holes he punched caused 90% of our goal chances in that league campaign. We'd no goal chance last night. Wont do to continue like that as the games go on.

Loughrey didnt play in the League last year and we went out with a whimper--he's that important.

Scullion played at corner back and was great. Antrim teams are never known to hit other teams or stop players in their tracks but Tony doesnt read the script. He loves hitting hard/borderline fair and i think its class.

Sligo didnt look too hot last night. They were rudderless up front for most of first half but relaxed a bit in the second half and improved. O'Hara and TT were a miss around the middle for them as was David Kelly (thank God he wasnt flying about up front).

Brady for us looked to me that he was going to get the hook till he won a ball and then followed that with a lobbed point. Thought Magill if fit shouldve been on.

Neeson scores some great points but shoots from crazy angles all too often. Also he hid in behind for 1st 25 mins of 2nd half and never touched leather during that time--not good enough going forward--he'll need to get out and win ball or have help in there to win ball. Numerous times we had ball going up left/stand side in 2nd half and the 2/3 full forwards ran away to far/top right corner in behind their men. The only ball playable to them then was a diagonal ball --but those 3 certainly arn't Ronan, Stevie and Diarmuid so that wasnt gonna work. They have to be brave, stronger and come out in front and get the ball--no primary school balls over the top at this level.

Tomas showed some guts though. Some pressure but stroked it over

[anglocelt39]

You may have noted the line "doing what you should be doing". I have the height of respect for them lads.

Comment re subtlety reinforced, never mind Myles you'll get it someday

[anglocelt39]

Impressive win for Longford there. Seems Cavan had Wexford there for the taking at one point and got hit for a quick 1-02 and it was game over. Letting in 4 goals is worrying. Next Saturdays game at home to Longford is now a must win game if we aim to get promoted. Should be a good match.

I would love to think we are still in the running for promotion Myles and don't want to come over all negative but at this stage I reckon we need to win four games out of six to be safe in Division 3 and who knows, that might even be enough for promotion with a bit of luck. There was an awful lot of positive stuff out there today, particularly when you consider where we are coming from but there is some serious stuff to worry about as well. I get the impression that Wexford had a view that we were a sitting duck to leak a few goals and so it proved. Now if that is a generally held view we are likely to leak another goal or two and may lose tight games that are there for the taking. Hope I am wrong but this has been an on going issue. In fairness, the first thing we need is not to spend 10 to 15 minute spells in games where we are winning nothing around the middle.

[panc56]

I can't see Cavan beating Longford next week, nor will Offaly beat the Rossies. Tipp to beat Antrim & Sligo to beat Wex. Sets the Longford Rossies game up
Nicely early in the season.

[Syferus]

I can't see Cavan beating Longford next week, nor will Offaly beat the Rossies. Tipp to beat Antrim & Sligo to beat Wex. Sets the Longford Rossies game up
Nicely early in the season.

I think on today's performance we have every chance of taking Offaly but this division has the look of chaos about it - no one here is going to be over-confident next weekend. It is a big ask for Sligo to beat Wexford too, but maybe home field and necessity will coalesce for our neigbours.

Either way, that Longford game could well be huge. Cregg should be back for us by that game and he would help us no end with our problems controlling breaking ball in the middle so another performance like today against Longford would probably be enough to win.

[haranguerer]

Completely agree--ref did not decide the game. He did give ropey enough frees for both sides but the match was not the hardest to ref and there wasnt any big flashpoint incidents-penaltys, penalty calls or sendings off.

Imo ref definitely decided the game. Thats the whole problem - as long as there are no major flash points, everyone goes, ach he was grand, but throughout a game, the borderline decisions make a massive difference. The ref was terrible, and favoured antrim. In fairness to them, they started very brightly, and should have been more ahead at ht, but some of the decisions throughout, key decisions at key times, were laughable. The free McCann got to level it was a disgrace.

[Billys Boots]

Impressive win for Longford there. Seems Cavan had Wexford there for the taking at one point and got hit for a quick 1-02 and it was game over. Letting in 4 goals is worrying. Next Saturdays game at home to Longford is now a must win game if we aim to get promoted. Should be a good match.

I think all the Longford win means is that the bookies were correct (about Offaly).  We'll have a better idea of how things lie (with Longford anyway) after next weekend, I think. 

[ross4life]

After one poor showing yesterday i won't be writing off Offaly, in April Longford beat us by 6 points it really should have been double that. Over the years Offaly away is always difficult game for us & Sunday will be no different.

[Syferus]

After one poor showing yesterday i won't be writing off Offaly, in April Longford beat us by 6 points it really should have been double that. Over the years Offaly away is always difficult game for us & Sunday will be no different.

I think you bring that league final game up way too much - we had a much more essential championship game a continent away the next weekend and every player was tense and playing within themselves - we took Kilbride off after about ten minutes - apart from Cregg. Previous to that our record against Longford has been ridiculously good so although I think Longford are a better team now than they have been for many years that game last year tells you next to nothing about our quality relative to them, let alone Offaly.

[ross4life]

After one poor showing yesterday i won't be writing off Offaly, in April Longford beat us by 6 points it really should have been double that. Over the years Offaly away is always difficult game for us & Sunday will be no different.

I think you bring that league final game up way too much - we had a much more essential championship game a continent away the next weekend and every player was tense and playing within themselves - we took Kilbride off after about ten minutes - apart from Cregg. Previous to that our record against Longford has been ridiculously good so although I think Longford are a better team now than they have been for many years that game last year tells you next to nothing about our quality relative to them, let alone Offaly.

I don't think i brought up the league final defeat since we lost it? I for one don't believe the myth "we were minding ourselfs for NY" Longford put in serious effort in that 2nd half something that we couldn't match on the day & Longford are a better team now than the one we use to regularly beat.

As for Offaly i see Niall McNamee is back in training hopefully from a Roscommon point of view next Sundays game comes to soon for him.