Four games gone and just two points to show for it. But more importantly there are three games remaining in this year's NFL Division Two and let's face it - whatever about our current form - they are all winnable contests. The potential safety net of the Louth/Westmeath axis to finish the campaign, is one that looks increasingly like we'll have to make considerable use of. The game in Newbridge was always going to represent a tipping point for the campaign. Not just because it was the middle game out of seven, but also because the result would go some way to deciding where Derry's priorities might lie for the remainder of the league. A win would have had John Brennan preparing his side for a shot at promotion, but instead the defeat leaves us happy just to avoid relegation.
Sitting seventh in the table, what other option do we have?
Lucky enough things are still very tight in Division Two, and in such a climate, this weekend's games were never going to make a massive difference to Derry's position either way. A big win for Monaghan probably didn't look great from an Oak Leaf perspective, but a Louth victory was no use to us either, so no harm done there. A late one-point victory for Galway at home to Meath puts the Tribesmen into second and out of danger for now, while it keeps Meath close to the bottom of the table, despite sitting in third. Obviously a draw would have been the best result for us in Salthill, but again minimal damage for Derry.
Tyrone's easy victory against Westmeath keeps the midlanders as favorites for relegation and went some way to ensuring it is them and not us sitting at the root of the table. Like Derry, they only have two points, and have a tough run of games to follow against Monaghan, Kildare and Derry. Louth meanwhile, have three points. They'll face Kildare, Derry and Meath in their last three games. All being well, the Wee county and the Lakesiders will struggle for any sort of points at all for the remainder, so Derry can still be optimistic. We control our own destiny. We're not in any real danger yet.
(click on image to enlarge)
Having not attended the game in Newbridge, it's obviously difficult to take into any sort of reputable analysis, so it'll have to be a kind of faux-conclusion on Derry's performance based on newspaper reports and interviews.
It sounds like a game that Derry were well in for the most part, having matched Kildare in the first half and only going in at the half trailing by two points because of some wayward shooting. When the Lilywhites went seven points clear in the second half it looked like game over and thoughts immediately turned to last year's meeting between the sides at Croke Park, when Derry faded in the second half having started off reasonably well. But to Derry's credit, heads did not drop after Johnny Doyle's penalty goal opened up that hefty deficit. Sean Leo McGoldrick hit the net only two minutes later and when substitute Cailean O'Boyle grabbed a goal soon after, there was only one point between the sides.
Derry however, could never truly get on top of their opposition, and even though the Oak Leafs had just produced their best spell of the game, Kildare still held the lead. Alan Smith's goal five minutes from time was the deciding score, and the five-point margin in defeat sounded at least reasonably harsh on the away side. Oh, and it sounded like a decent game.
John Brennan will have been happy with some of the spirit and character shown by his side, but will be disappointed at the concession of 2-13. These sort of tallies are very hard to overcome at the other end, especially away from home. Michael Bateson was missing from last week's win over Monaghan and Dermot McBride's absence continues to be a factor.
As we were already aware, there is no real problem with the forwards. The full-forward line of Enda Lynn, Paddy Bradley and Conleth Gilligan scored all eight points between them. O'Boyle scored a goal when introduced, and considering players like Mark Lynch, Eoin Bradley and (potentially) Enda Muldoon are to come in, John Brennan has a lot of firepower at his disposal. The extent of the damage this firepower can cause is dependent on how Derry fare in the midfield and breaking ball stakes. Gerard O'Kane will be out for some months, according to reports, and his energy and drive was missed yesterday - and will continue to be missed over the remaining games of the NFL. However, the midfield pairing of PJ McCloskey and Michael Friel certainly weren't dominated in Newbridge, and Brennan has a headache in the offing when eventually deciding on his preferred midfield partnership. We may not find out until June.
Referee Martin Higgins had some ire directed at him post-game from the Derry boss for failing to award Derry a late penalty, whilst giving the home side an apparently soft one at the other end. All open to conjecture of course, but Higgins has previous with the Oak Leafers this season, and he won't be receiving a bye-ball from this direction. His partner in crime, Padraig Hughes, will referee our game in Navan this weekend, so best if we're careful about what we say... people have been sent off for less!
Some web links from Sunday's game:
- Report on the game from the Derry GAA website
- The southern press were all over the return of Dermot Earley. The Irish Times manages to squeeze in a couple of sentences about the game itself in its report
- If you want a re-hashed version of what you just read, nip on over to the Irish Independent. Alternatively, don't bother.
- Third time's a charm
- BBC Sport barely even mentions Earley
- John Brennan vents some fury at referee Higgins (via RTÉ)
- Some reaction of the audio variety from Kildare FM
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