Egan left disappointed by flat display and multiple turnovers

Despite seeing his side kick a late equaliser for the second weekend running to rescue a draw from a losing situation against Antrim, there was a strong sense of disappointment emanating from Roscommon intermediate ladies’ manager Finbar Egan.

Even before he spoke to the media outside the lush sward of St. Croan’s main pitch, Egan’s facial expressions and body language told their own story.

“We would be disappointed. I believe we turned the ball over 42 times. At the start of the second half, we talked about minding the ball, but we couldn’t complete two passes. It went from us being three up to them getting a lead on us. It ebbed our confidence away.

“I thought we played well at stages in that first half, but we also turned the ball over too easily. Too many unforced errors. It is okay if they are turning you over through tackling, but we are turning it over ourselves. We were making it really hard to keep the momentum going.

“They (Antrim) are a very good team, and they should probably have won. The difference is that the girls are fighting and sticking to it more this year, and that is where we are getting results. We might have lost those games last year, but we are getting draws out of them,” he noted.

Despite the concerns over the performance, Roscommon’s substitutes made a noticeable impact. Róise Lennon kicked three points in what was an impressive cameo by the Clann nan Gael forward — a highlight in a game that left more questions than answers.

“It was a good return to form for Róise because it would be very easy for her head to drop after last week, but she is made of better stuff. She came back strong today. Kate (Nolan) did well. Saoirse Wynne did well when she came on. I thought all our subs did well and justified coming on. They are all fighting for places.

“Ciara Cunningham made her Roscommon debut today. Natasha O’Rourke has been playing but she got injured a couple of weeks ago, so she has been eased back into the fold.

“Áine Connaughton came on and she is back from injury. We are starting to get people back and we will hopefully have two or three more soon. It is more competition for the girls, and the more competition the better they play,” Egan stated.

After three games in as many weeks, Egan is looking forward to a gap before facing table-toppers Down as he hopes to welcome more of the cavalry back.

“We need to get working on things that popped up today. We have a break for a week and then we are out this day two weeks and then another break. That gives us a chance to get people back.

“The girls who are only back haven’t even done two or three training sessions with us. We have a lot of new girls in this year who are going to make a difference. We are still trying to build a team and a panel. We have four, five or six good subs to come on, no matter who you pick,” he concluded.