Galligan rues missed chances but glad of chance for players to rest 'sore bodies'

Reaction

Cavan manager Raymond Galligan was left to rue missed opportunities after his side fell to a 0-21 to 0-19 defeat against Cork in their round seven National League clash today.

Cavan were behind for almost the entire match but rallied late on – as results elsewhere panned out, a draw would have seen Cavan promoted to Division 1 but a late chance was spurned just on the hooter.

"Yeah, it's a bitter pill to swallow, especially when you see the results. But look, we just left a lot of opportunities out there. We didn't perform at the levels we had performed to date," Galligan said.

"And I suppose that's up to us now as management, to reflect and [see] where we came in, probably just a little bit undercooked."

Galligan stressed that Cavan had been forced to dig deep in recent weeks after a poor start to the campaign left them scrapping for points in rounds three to six; the inference was that those exertions, resulting in four wins in succession, had taken their toll.

"Yeah, it is disappointing but at the same time, we had our backs to the wall for the last number of weeks, and I think the boys performed. So the league as a whole was definitely very positive for us."

A frantic finish saw Cavan chasing the game, with a late kick from Dara McVeety trailing wide. Under the latest rule change, Cavan could have recycled possession until the ball went dead, although Galligan had no issues with his star forward’s decision.

"The franticness now of the game whereby there's no let-up, it's 11 v 11, tthe time on the ball to make these decisions, to be even aware of the clock, you know, it is a little bit… it's hard to grasp at times," he said.

"These are all teething problems and it will take time for players to adjust."

The real regrets, Galligan felt, were rooted in the first half.

"We missed great opportunities in the first half, that was the big one. I think it was two points apiece after 10 minutes, and we probably should have been three, four points up. As a whole, we know we didn't just perform to the levels that we can and yeah, it's disappointing."

Galligan didn’t hold back in his assessment of the officiating, though he refused to use it as an excuse.

"Look, I wouldn't think that was Paul's (Paul Faloon) finest performance now. To be honest with you, I thought there were a number of times that the decisions went against us. Clear balls being picked off the ground, there was a solo and go with no solo and a fist pass. There was balls across the line, look, it was one of these things.

"That definitely wasn't the reason we lost the game. I think it was more, say, we struggled to get breaking ball at times there around midfield, but we had opportunities… There was a great blockdown on Cormac O’Reilly and it turned the game because we had it back to three points, that would have made it two.

"They go up the field and they make it four, and I think there was about nine or ten minutes on the clock. It’s just them small opportunities - when they come and you don't take them, at this level, there's very little chance of pulling the opposition back after that."

Galligan was full of praise for Cork, a side Cavan beat in a similarly-close tussle in Páirc Uí Chaoímh last year.

"Cork are a really, really good team. You know, Cork will go on to have a good summer, I have no question about that," he said.

"Cork beat Donegal last year in the championship with the same group of players, and Donegal have big expectations. I feel that it's great to be back in that conversation where you're expecting to beat Cork coming to Cavan. You've got results against two All-Ireland quarter-finalists last year in Louth and Roscommon. I think we're moving in the right direction."

With the Ulster Championship looming, Galligan is hopeful that injuries clear up and sharpness returns.

"We know we've a lot to work on and we have improving to do but hopefully we get lots of bodies back over the next two, three weeks, and lads will be able to narrow the gap with the fitness, and that will put us in good stead going into the championship,” said the Lacken man, who suggested fatigue was also an issue.

"Lads looked tired there, to be honest. I think with these new rules, it is ferocious… These lads now are covering more distance, more high-speed running, and what they're meant to do is the exact same amount, get the same amount of recovery.

"I think we probably were a little bit tired there at times… They’re (Cork) coming off the back of a holiday in Portugal and are well recovered. You can see they are hitting form at the right time. I don't think it's the case we're not hitting form, I think we just need to give the lads a couple of days just to rest. A lot of lads have sore bodies there. Last weekend took a lot out of them."

Galligan confirmed that Killian Clarke and Brían O’Connell, who picked up knocks, are not expected to be sidelined for a prolonged period.

"I was just speaking with the doctor. He said we wouldn't be worrying about either. They weren't too bad… I think both are minor injuries, so hopefully there won't be too long of a turnaround, thankfully."

Less optimistic was the news on attackers Paddy Lynch, who had a setback in his recovery from an ACL rupture, and Oisin Brady, who went off early in the Roscommon game.

"Paddy most likely won't be back for the Tyrone game, he may make the next round. Oisin Brady more than likely will struggle to be back in three weeks."

Cavan now face Tyrone on April 13 in the Ulster Championship hoping for a first championship win over the Red Hands since 1983 - but Galligan dismissed any talk of the past.

"To be honest, the way I live my life, I look at today, and then I look at tomorrow, and I look at the day after, I don't believe in looking behind me. There's enough people that will do that for me and do that for the team and talk about past results," he said.

"For us, it's just another game, it’s 70-plus minutes. The past, to be honest with you, when those boys cross the white line, will be irrelevant. So it'll be all guns blazing. Over the next three weeks, it'll be head down, working hard, and we expect to put in our best performance - and please God, on the day, it'll be enough to get the win."