Mickey Harte proud of his Louth players despite another defeat

Father time has not been kind to the Louth Footballers in recent weeks. Had he, in the guise of referees Martin McNally and Noel Mooney, added even another minute to both the Cork game in Navan and the Mayo clash in Castlebar last Sunday, Group 1 would look very different.

Alas, that is the one element the Wee County have no control over. Instead of being unbeaten, with two draws or maybe more recorded, the men in red have yet to register a positive result.

Never falling more than five behind and spending most of this contest within reach of Mayo, Mickey Harte has a lot to be proud when he reflects back on this game. This was supposed to be breeze for the League champions, but instead they found themselves in a huge battle.

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“It wasn’t an easy challenge for our players, but I think they deserve great credit” exclaimed the Louth manager when speaking to local media after the game.

“To be in the game at half time was our first aim. We didn’t want to lose this tie early on and have them enjoying a procession, which has happened to us before.

“We did that and in fact we could’ve been better off at half time, but we were still pleased. The start of the second half we had a chance of a goal. Sam (Mulroy) would normally hold onto them and stick it in the net. But with the conditions he let it slip, which is a pity as we know he’d put it in the net.

“That would’ve left us level, but who knows, maybe Mayo would’ve gotten on their high horse quicker. I think as the game went on, they started keeping us at arm’s length and they didn’t really appreciate the desire within our boys to go to the end.

“Our men deserve great credit, as it would’ve been easy to give up, easy to just say we are beaten here, we might as well go down by eight to 10 points. I cannot say enough about the desire they showed today, and I think the people of Louth can be proud of what they’ve done.”

If people needed something extra, something neutral that showcased how good Louth really were in Castlebar, you have to look no further that the RTE Studio.

The Sunday Game gave the man of the match award to St Fechins stalwart Bevan Duffy, despite him only being a late addition to the starting 15. He replaced Dermot Campbell and had a blinder, both in defence and as an option for the forwards.

“It was a team effort” reflected the Tyrone native when asked to speak about how his defenders stood up to the challenge posed by the Connacht side.

“I think Bevan would be the first man to say after getting the accolade that it was very much on behalf of the team, because the unit worked well today.

“Of course, we made mistakes and let things happen that we could’ve avoided. But that award gives great credit to the unity of purpose that the players showed.

“That kind of automatic awareness of helping others out. You have to help out with your man-to-man markers to give guys a chance to keep you in the game. I think that is what Bevan did well today, then he got good assistance too from the rest of the players.”

Moral victories are important to take, especially on occasions like a match with the League Champions in their own back yard, a game Louth were expected to swell beaten. Only losing by a point is commendable.

But Harte is always great at looking at the bigger picture and days like this showcase how much he has brought on this group of players over the last three years.

However, he is annoyed that another defeat meant they are now looking highly unlikely of progressing beyond the knockout stages, with just Kerry left to play in the group stages. He hopes they will still make the most of this encounter, which has been fixed for O'Moore Park in Portlaoise on Sunday June 18th.  

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“We would be disappointed at some of the chances Mayo got to go five up, as they were avoidable with a wee bit of discipline.

"Most of their chances came from frees, so if we hadn’t of let them go as far ahead and with our power finish, who knows what might’ve happened.

“It is good to get as close as that, but it is not much good in terms of staying in this competition as we needed to win and get something out of the next game, so it is pity in that sense.

“People would expect that this was the beginning of a rout (going three down early). The fact we didn’t let that happen and we came into half time only three down, that pleased us. It showed our players that they can compete at his level.”