Dunning praises ‘bottle’ of captain Nugent in securing draw against Sligo
Roscommon U-20 football manager, Noel Dunning, was delighted with the character shown by his side against Sligo on Wednesday evening.
Roscommon U-20 football manager, Noel Dunning, praised his captain Bobby Nugent for nailing a pressure free in the fourth minute of injury time to ensure his side remained unbeaten in this year’s EirGrid Connacht U-20 Football Championship.
In a topsy turvy affair, Roscommon appeared destined to suffer their first defeat of the campaign against Sligo at Markievicz Park on Wednesday evening, especially after Nugent had seen a placed ball drift to the left and wide two minutes earlier.
However, the St. Brigid’s clubman nailed a more difficult opportunity with the final kick of the game as Roscommon dug out a second successive draw to keep themselves firmly in the mix for the knockout stages.
The character shown by Roscommon was of little surprise to Dunning who referenced the unforgettable comeback against Galway in the Connacht minor semi-final back in 2021 as a sign of this group’s never say die attitude.
“Going into injury time, it wasn’t looking good, but these lads have bags of character and thankfully they showed it again. They showed it against Mayo, and they even displayed it in their minor days. They were 11 points down in a minor championship game against Galway in Tuam and they came back to win it. These guys have character in spades.
“They would put the heart crossways in you at times, but they kept plugging away, kept at it and they got their just rewards there in the end.
“I have to say our captain showed some bottle to put that free over at the end after missing one just before it. To put his hand up and say ‘yeah I’ll have a pop here again.’ Fair play to him. I just said it to them in there, it sums up the spirit of that group.
“Considering the distance, and it is the dying embers of a championship match. You know it is the difference between losing and drawing the game and you are the captain. The weight of all that is on your shoulders, but he stood up and stuck it. I am delighted for him.”
