Murray: "This is for the gaels of Ardee"

Ardee St. Mary’s manager, Cathal Murray, was delighted after his team clinched their third consecutive Louth Senior Football Championship on Sunday in a windy match against Naomh Máirtín at McGeough Park.

Speaking to the Dundalk Democrat after the final whistle, Murray shared his thoughts on the game and what the victory means for the club and community.

“It’s hard to put into words,” he began, still trying to process the achievement. “It was a strange game of football, the conditions had a serious effect on it, from what should have been two fairly free-scoring teams.”

He admitted the team faced unexpected challenges. When reflecting on the first half he said: “In the first half we had maybe 14 attacks to get a jammy goal out of.

“Tactics nearly went out the window for a large part. It was heart, grit, hunger, and that never-say-die attitude that got us through.”

The windy and tough conditions clearly played a big part, but Murray praised both sides for pushing each other to the limit.

He said: “We knew there were going to be mistakes on both sides. We obviously tried to put them under pressure, but they put us under serious pressure too. We had a lot of turnovers in the first half.

“We talked at halftime about stopping giving the ball away back to them, particularly with that breeze. That was one of the key things we went after in the second half.”

Murray explained how the team adapted to the conditions and made the most of their opportunities.

He added: “We knew we had to run at them, and that’s where the scores came out of. Our intention was to keep it in touch and keep it tight, not let them get away from us, and then maybe hit them on the counterattack with pace and the ability to create space and get the scores.”

Gaps started to appear in Naomh Máirtín’s defence and Ardee took advantage as the game progressed.

“As the game got tighter and went on longer, they left more gaps at the back, which we were able to exploit. They were very tight and well-organized, but we eventually got the goal which made the difference.”

Looking back on that second half, Murray acknowledged how difficult the conditions were for both teams. “Because of the breeze, it was hard to get shots or even get into scorable positions.

“It was difficult to score from out far on the stand side. I thought the second half went very quickly there, and I’m relieved when the final whistle went.”

When asked about winning three Joe Ward Cups in a row for the first time in Ardee St. Mary’s history, Murray said: “There are men there with tears in their eyes.

“I think of the likes of Patsy Coleman, who has three medals overall and has been an inspiration to us. He just came through an operation, and we are delighted to have Patsy here.”

Murray finished by dedicating the win to the people of Ardee. “This is for the Gaels of Ardee. You can see what it means to people who have never done it before.

“It’s very special, and I’m delighted for those people that we are able to give something back to those who have given so much to the community and football in Ardee over the years.”