Critical Longford manager Paddy Christie reflects on harsh experience in the defeat against Fermanagh

With sheep calmly grazing on the hill overlooking the pitch, the Ballymun Kickhams man was deeply critical of how his players took a similarly docile approach to trying to disrupt Fermanagh’s running game. 

“We didn’t play well today and Fermanagh were the better team, so there’s no excuses. They were deservedly seven-point winners and arguably it could have been more than that. We never looked like scoring a goal, which is always a worrying thing” was his initial reaction.

“When it was opened up in the first half, we did have plenty of opportunities, I think we might have missed two or three handy 20 or 30 metre kicks, and you’re going to get punished for that at this level, whether that’s Division Three or Division Four. 

“We lost a lot of breaking ball at midfield as well so that’s something we’ll have to have a look at, but the most general thing is the physicality of the game, we were very loose in that regard.

“I felt that Fermanagh ran around in the first 15 or 20 minutes unopposed, and you don’t want any black or red cards, but you do want to see them having difficulty running through, and to see them getting into good positions without any serious pressure, you won’t get away with that at any level of football” he continued.

“They ran through the channels, they picked up the ball easily and they have players that can kick nice scores, so you’re always going to be in trouble in that sort of a set up. 

“I’ve no problem with us being loose when we’re the team going six or seven points up, building a lead. But playing like that when you’re losing, Fermanagh must have thought all of their Sundays came at once”.

The only positive note that he could sound was that he felt that the issues that afflicted his team were things that can be addressed in a relatively short period of time. 

“From the throw-in, Fermanagh were the better team, so we have to regroup very quickly for a big game against Westmeath. 

“You’d imagine in this division that teams will take points off each other, but there are certain base points we have to improve on, and it won’t matter if we’re playing Fermanagh, Westmeath, Offaly, Tipperary or whoever, you cannot allow teams to build from the back like that.  

“The good news is that it’s a mindset and that can change, it’s not a lack of fitness or anything like that. It is a step up from the O’Byrne Cup, and we played well in those games, but we were playing against teams that were putting out fringe players. The only way you get up to the higher pace is through experience, and today was a harsh experience”. 

And will the local derby aspect help concentrate matters? Not so much, he argued. 

“Fermanagh’s not that far from Longford either, it doesn’t matter if we’re playing Waterford in a challenge, we want a certain amount of intensity, and we only got that in patches in the second half there. That’s what we need to address, or we’ll find ourselves in a relegation battle very quickly”.