Louth win against Down "Is what we needed to re-invigorate our league campaign" says Brennan
Senior football manager Ger Brennan praises his players effort and commitment
Louth senior footballers secured a hard-earned 2-17 to 0-22 win over Down in the Allianz National Football League tie at Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda this afternoon.
Manager Ger Brennan reflected on the spirited triumph and acknowleded the effort his players put in until the final whistle.
Speaking after the game, he said: “It’s great to get the two points. That is what we needed to get today to re-invigorate our league campaign.
“There were moments last week in the Cavan game in terms of when we demonstrated good phases of play, and we tried to get that over the 70 minutes today.
(Andy McDonnell of Louth in action against Odhran Murdock, left, and James Guinness of Down. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile)
Character and commitment
The manager commended the character, effort, and commitment shown by his squad.
He said: “Well, I think that is something that I have said after each game so far this year that the spirit and the effort of the players has never been in doubt.
“It is just tightening up on some of the handling errors, shot selection, defensively – particularly with the ‘keeper coming up.
(Daniel Guinness of Down is tackled by Tommy Durnin of Louth. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile)
Down's counterattack
Brennan acknowledged Down’s impressive counterattacking play and cited their high-scoring ability.
“That is something that we would have observed in their previous games. I think they kicked 66 scores in total over their three games,” he said.
“So, they were averaging high scores. I think 30% or 40% of their scores over those three games was coming from the counterattack.
“They did catch us out on an occasion, and I think we have to give credit to Niall McDonnell – I think he really stood up again, he made some wonderful saves and gameplay when he came up the pitch.
(Peter Fagan of Down in action against Kieran McArdle of Louth. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile)
Responding to criticism
Net minder McDonnell faced criticism after an error in the previous game against Cavan, but Brennan believed he answered his critics in the best way possible.
“That is the strength of the man that he is able to come back, he didn’t shy away from it. We also spoke about the outfield players too during the week,” Brennan said.
“That ultimately, we kicked just shy of 50% of our shots last week which put us under pressure at the back. So again, when a goalkeeper has a mishap that can be amplified given his proximity to the goal.
(James Guinness of Down is tackled by Louth goalkeeper Niall McDonnell. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile)
Kickout improvements
Louth’s kickout strategy worked well this week against the Mournemen and led to an increase in possession. Brennan said: “I haven’t looked at the numbers yet.
"It doesn’t be pretty, but we just said we will play the percentages between the weather, the footing, and the conditions.
“We still got a couple of shorts ones off too with Donal McKenny showing quite well. We will try to get bodies around the middle now.
(Andy McDonnell of Louth in action against Miceal Rooney of Down. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile)
Burns and McArdle goals
Louth’s two goals made the difference, with Ryan Burns finding the net in the first half and Kieran McArdle reacting sharply for the second.
Brennan said: “It is super! We probably haven’t been scoring as many goals this campaign as we had last year.
“Maybe that is something opposition teams have been doing their homework on us that we are good at cutting teams open.
(Kieran McArdle of Louth celebrates after scoring his side's second goal against Down. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile)
Defensive bravery
Daire Nally put his body on the line with a vital block, something Brennan was keen to highlight. “Daire has had a super couple of months and did really well in the full-back line last week.
(Down goalkeeper Ronan Burns saves the shot of Liam Jackson of Louth. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile)
Promotion is possible
With another two points secured, Louth remains in the hunt for promotion. He said: “It is a very competitive league to be fair Division 2 is massive.
(Louth manager Ger Brennan before the Allianz Football League Division 2 match against Down. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile)
The supporters
Brennan praised the Louth supporters and spoke of the momentum gained from last year’s Leinster final.
“The support has been super. I think it really grew from last year after that performance in the Leinster final,” he said.
“I think a lot of people around Louth began to jump on the bandwagon and started attending games. Thankfully that support has continued.
(Supporters shield their eyes from the sun during the Allianz Football League Division 2 match between Louth and Down. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile)
Injury concerns
Brennan admitted injuries have been an issue but pointed out the depth of the squad.
He said: “There are a lot of injuries, and a lot of squads have it. On the flip side of it is that we have eight fellas that played National League this year that didn’t play last year.
“Six of them are debutants and then obviously Andy McDonnell and Emmet Carolan. It is a case of one or two fellas back, one or two fellas gone.
“Today was probably our most experienced team that we have managed to get out on the pitch.”