Devlin “really impressed” with Louth performance

Louth senior footballers suffered pre-season defeat to Westmeath in the O'Byrne Cup at St Loman’s, Mullingar, on Wednesday night.

For manager, Gavin Devlin, it was a night that was more about getting minutes in his players' legs and less about the result.

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Speaking after the game, Devlin said: “These mid-week games in the O’Byrne Cup on a Wednesday night are difficult fixtures anyway.

“Even coming from down in the north with Tyrone and the McKenna Cup, this Wednesday night fixture does be really difficult.

“Boys working all day and trying to get across the roads to be here at a certain time. But we planned really well for the game, and we were here in really good time.

“I was really impressed with the performance. The young boys stepped up really well. It's a big step from under-20s to seniors, none more so than our goalkeeper tonight.

“I thought he was absolutely exceptional with his kick-outs. But it's those one or two that just get away from you, and at this level, you get punished drastically.

Even from open play, when you haemorrhage the ball in the transition, they get in behind you and score.

“But apart from a few really bad errors tonight, I thought our game tonight was really, really good at a good level. Unfortunately, there were again injuries, come back to cost us again.

“(Ciarán) Casey Byrne (we've) been nursing him back there. We were trying to get minutes into his legs there, and I thought he was playing exceptionally for the first 15-20 minutes.

“And then, lo and behold, he picked up an injury there towards the end of the first half. So that's the disappointing part for me.”

The Wee County stayed in touch deep into the second half, but Devlin was clear that there is a bigger picture than the result at this stage of the year.

“That's where we're at at the moment. We've been looking at a lot of players from the start of the year to now. But there's a panel to be picked now in the next three or four days.

“So we have to be fair to everyone and give them minutes and get minutes in their legs. And give them a fair crack of the whip because, unfortunately, there's going to be boys that are going to have to leave our panel just due to numbers.

“And their commitment and their dedication to us from the start of the year has been absolutely exemplary. And it's really hard to leave them off the palm.

“But it's a numbers game, and we're going to have to make that cut now. And that's been done in the next three or four days. The last 15-20 minutes there, we had to get boys in the field and see where they're at.

“Apart from a few bad errors throughout the course of the game, which really, really cost us, with bad goals, I was really impressed with the performance.”

In an era where competitive opportunities are limited, competitions like the O’Byrne Cup and the McGeough Cup carry real weight for players on the fringes. Back in the day, whenever I used to play myself, we had a one-off trial game.

“But now, there's a luxury of these boys in a good number of weeks now in the training field and taking a really good assessment of them and seeing where they're at.

“It may not be for you right now, but the door's never closed. We're always on the lookout for talent and for players. People just grow and mature at different times. So the door's never closed. But for now, in a few days, there'll be a cut.”

There were encouraging individual displays throughout, with familiar leaders and returning faces adding authority to the performance,

“There's a few magical performances out there today. I thought, even getting Ryan Burns back in the field today, I thought there was a shine about him.

“But yeah, there's still a lot of work to do. But there are a lot of serious, good performances out there. I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks, getting ready for the start of the National League.

“That's what we've been gearing towards all year. We have a good plan in place between now and the end. So that's our goal now, getting ready for the start of the National League.”

With the National League looming and an opening trip fixture on the horizon, difficult conversations now await.

“Tough decisions to make. I think the winners of this game tonight will be the winners of Meath or Offaly. So I think we've maybe dodged Mickey (Harte) this time. But unfortunately, in two weeks' time, we won't be able to dodge him.

“But yeah, that's been our goal from the start of the year, is trying to get into the best, healthiest position as we could for the start of the National League.

“We won't be fully there. They're still guys we're trying to nurse back and get back on the training field first, and then get their fitness levels up.

“That could be a race against time for a few individuals. But look, everyone's in the same boat. We're not in a bad place. We're really happy with where we're at.

“It's just a matter of dusting ourselves down after tonight now and really focusing now and getting ready for the start of the National League.”

Several established names were again absent through injury, with the management opting for caution rather than risk.

“I think for a couple of individuals, there's nothing too serious, but they're niggly. And although the start of the National League is really, really important, it's still only one game into the season.

“So we've got to be careful we don't rush them too quickly, and then we set them back even further. So there's a balance there, and we need to find that balance.”