Dowdall rues ‘missed chances’ as St Loman’s bow out
“We’re really disappointed, but we played against a really organised and determined Ardee team that kept going and kept going, and it seemed like every time they took a shot it went over the bar.”
These initial post-match thoughts from St Loman’s, Mullingar manager Paddy Dowdall neatly sum up last Saturday’s pulsating Leinster club senior football semi-final in Homestead Lakepoint Park, with the home side denied a place in the provincial decider by the narrowest of margins.
The former St Loman’s player continued: “I doubt they had too many wides,” (the tally was just one) but I can’t fault that group of St Loman’s players. They were fantastic from start to finish. Yes, we missed a few chances, but that happens.
"We were three points up in the first half and missed a few chances, which allowed them back into the game. They are the little things that can change the dynamic of a game. We almost got in for a goal before half-time, we hit the post twice, and dropped one or two short. It was heavy ground today and against quality opposition like Ardee, you have to take your chances.”
The losing bainisteoir was typically magnanimous when he stated: “I have to say fair dues to Ardee, as they battled to the end,” before adding, “it was a short turnaround to today’s game and you could probably see that in the legs a small bit. It’s also very hard to prepare mentally for that turnaround, but we kept at it and got two points in injury time to draw level.
"The injury to TJ (Cox) and the fact that Demo (Shane Dempsey) couldn’t start were blows. You have two corner forwards who can shoot the lights out. Also, we might have made more of the extra man, (Jonathan Commins was black-carded midway through the second half) and maybe we should have made hay, but in modern football now you can funnel back players.”
Dowdall concluded by reflecting on another successful year for the Delvin Road outfit, when he opined: “I can’t speak highly enough of the lads, from 1 to 40. They are amateurs, but are nearly like professionals. At the start of the year, the number one goal was to win the county championship and we managed that, but a Leinster title just wasn’t to be.”