Galligan: ‘We're not hitting the panic button yet’

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Cavan senior football manager Raymond Galligan did not hide his disappointment following his side’s defeat to Meath in Páirc Tailteann. The loss marks their second consecutive defeat in Division 2, and Galligan acknowledged the sting of losing another local derby.

“Hugely disappointing. Obviously, it's another local derby. It's the second defeat in a row. So I suppose, we're very disappointed, players are hurting. It's important now that we get around them and build them up over the next two weeks because, yeah, we know it was a poor performance in many aspects. So yeah, we've lots to work on.”

The absence of Killian Clarke was sorely felt. Galligan revealed that Clarke had been battling a hamstring strain sustained against Monaghan, although Meath were not at full strength either, with key attacker Matthew Costello ruled out.

“Killian strained his hamstring there actually the last day against Monaghan, so it was a race against time. He just wasn't ready to go back today. And hopefully, we will have him back mid-League. Two weeks may be a bit soon, but again, yeah, it's just unfortunate. He'd been doing really well for us. So yeah, he's a big loss out there today, a really big loss.”

Galligan acknowledged that Meath’s physicality and Cavan’s struggles in possession retention played a crucial role in the outcome.

“I'm not quite sure of the stats now, but definitely we felt they were going to be a big, physical team. Kick-outs were going to be all about trying to get primary possession. I think we probably worked well on the ground in the sense we got a lot of breaking ball.

“But yes, he's (Clarke) a big player and a huge presence. So, you know, taking that out of your team was definitely a challenge. But look, I think that probably wasn't the difference in the game. It was more of a skill set and retaining possession, but as I say, we've lots to work on now over the next two weeks.”

Despite trailing at half-time, Galligan insisted there was no panic in the dressing room. The focus was on cutting down unforced errors, but lapses in discipline proved costly.

“Absolutely, there definitely was no panic button hit at half-time. We felt we underperformed in the first half. I think we gave 1-5 away from just giving back possession off turnovers. So we felt that we would get opportunities, and that did happen in the second half.

“But again, I think we had it back to four or five points and again, we got caught for dissent, 50-meter free, two-pointer, and it's pushed back out to seven. And suppose they are the small things there now that we really need to tidy up on because that's oxygen to the opposition.

“You're trying to narrow the gap from five to three, instead it's back out to seven. You know, it probably just knocks the momentum. And it probably was the difference today, that any time we felt we were making a little bit of inroads, we gave them more oxygen by just giving away bad possession or opportunities to bring in for handy frees.”

Galligan explained the rationale behind taking off Gary O’Rourke and introducing Nevin O’Donnell, emphasising that it was a tactical decision.

“At the time Gary came out, I think there was seven, eight points in it. It was an opportunity to put a little bit more freshness in that department, to come out and be the extra player, to try and get more shots off. And we felt it was the right move. Again, I’ve no doubt Nevin would be very disappointed conceding the goals.

“But look, Nevin is an accomplished goalkeeper, and we all make mistakes. He'll be very, very disappointed, I've no doubt. But look, he's a great fella, he's been new just to the team and the group since he came in and look, no different than any player, he'll reflect, and I'm sure he'll come back stronger over the next week or two because, look, he's a huge talent and he's still going to be very much a live option for us over the next couple of weeks and months.”

Galligan took encouragement from the contributions of younger players and the return of key figures like Gearóid McKiernan. However, he emphasised the need for others to raise their games.

“We were looking for more players to step up. It was great Daragh (Lovett) got his first opportunity today, and he stepped up again. You know, having the likes of Gearóid back in the equation is great for the team, gives us more strength and depth.

“Hopefully, we'll have a few more players over the next two weeks. But I'd say so much now is in our control, in the sense of what we can tidy up on, and hopefully, we can knuckle down and work on them over the next number of sessions.”

While the back-to-back defeats have been disappointing, Galligan remains confident that his side can turn things around, with a crucial home game looming against Louth in a fortnight.

“The panic button is certainly not going to be hit just yet. We have, as I say, five games left, 10 points available. And you know, it's all now about the next day. It's about getting the first step on that ladder and start moving up and really focusing on ourselves.

“There's a lot of football still to be played, and it's all just about getting that next result. It's going to be a big game for both teams. It's a local derby. It's a home game for Cavan. We're due a win at home. We've got to make sure there's a real good positive energy and get behind the team.

“Yes, we know we're going through a tough patch, but as I say, we've got to turn this thing around, both as players and management, and hopefully, we get a good crowd behind the players. Division 2 is competitive. We've been down through the divisions over the last number of years. We're playing good quality teams, and we want to make sure that we give the supporters something to cheer about now in two weeks’ time.”

Galligan also provided an update on Paddy Lynch and other potential returning players. “That was always the plan, hopefully, to have Paddy back for round three. Unfortunately, he just took a wee setback over the last week with the knee, so look, it's probably coming a bit too soon for round three.

“But yeah, Paddy's a huge player, a big guy in the dressing room. But look, hopefully, with a few more lads—Cian Madden and others—coming back into the fold over the next two or three weeks, we get stronger going into round four or five.”