THE LAST POINT: Cheers and tears in Pearse Park

Maybe these double headers aren’t a good idea after all! Not for the reason you think, I’m a big fan of combining fixtures for the Ladies & Men’s teams where possible but when it comes to the Leitrim men’s team, these double headers have been anything but pleasant.

Last year, a first ever double header in the League saw Leitrim suffer a calamitous 0-15 to 1-9 defeat to Wicklow down in Echelon Park Aughrim before the Ladies crushed the hosts in a powerful display of attacking football. 

Sunday last, the order of the games was reversed but unfortunately for Andy Moran’s men, the sense of deja vu was only compounded, Jonny Garrity’s Ladies crushing Longford by a staggering 21 points while the men’s team fell to a potentially promotion ending six point loss.

Seriously, I’m being more than a bit facetious about League double-headers being the problem and they’ll become more frequent in the future (if the playing surface permits - more about that another time) but Sunday was definitely a day for cheers and tears, cheers for our Ladies team who moved a step closer to escaping their Division 4 sojourn, tears for the men who must now rely on the favours of others.

Analysing both games is relatively easy - even if we have different interpretations of how we got there! The Ladies were vastly superior, better organised and much more clinical than a battling Longford side who weren’t as bad as the final 7-20 to 2-14 scoreline suggests.

THE LAST POINT: A SHOCKING WIN TO WIN OR LOSE!

That comes with a caveat too - Longford put a gloss on the scoreline late on after Leitrim ran in their bench, the intensity dropping but the first half was tight and tense, Longford’s Lohan sisters with the Cloone connection causing the Green & Gold problems.

But once Leitrim got a gap, confidence flowered and the Green & Gold took flight, a blistering burst of four goals in as many minutes putting this game to bed well before the final whistle.

Reading back those words, they could easily apply to the Men’s game that followed - Longford started brightly and stamped their authority on the contest, so much so that Leitrim looked stuck to the ground, devoid of confidence and more importantly of impetus. Cathal McCabe’s goal, clinically finished, was no more than Longford deserved.

Credit Leitrim for a stirring fightback that put the game right in the mix, a ten point to four swing that seemed to suggest that Andy Moran’s men were poised to overhaul their neighbours. But that’s where confidence comes in and leaves you wondering what makes teams react the way they do.

No analysis of Sunday’s clash can be complete without considering the impact of two black cards and a double yellow - Ryan O’Rourke's sixth minute black seemed to drain the life from Leitrim, Longford scoring 1-4 without reply during the period the Fenagh man was off the field. 

That there was the winning and losing of the game, according to conventional wisdom - but was it? If you’re going to lose a player to a black card early on and, with the height of respect to our attackers, you'd imagine losing a forward for ten minutes would be far better than losing a defender or midfielder? Easier to adjust shape and close up shop you’d think?

Leah Fox strikes for a goal against Longford Picture: Willie Donnellan

Granted O’Rourke is one of those special players on which you base your game plan around but Leitrim’s heads seemed to go into a tizzy when he went to the sideline. That’d be understandable but for Longford’s reaction to Paddy Kiernan picking up a black card four minutes into the second half.

Remember Leitrim  outscored Longford eight points to two, the gap was back to two points and Andy Moran’s side were seemingly poised to strike out for victory. Yet it was Longford who reacted, throwing off the lethargy that had overcome them for the previous 15 minutes to wrestle control of the game back from the visitors.

Some of it was down to sheer bloodymindedness, some of it experience as Michael Quinn really came into his own, linking the play in all sectors of the field, probably baiting Aidan Flynn into an off-the-ball foul that led to a tap over free as Longford incredibly outscored Leitrim two points to one during Gallagher’s absence.

THE LAST POINT: A WEEKEND FULL OF EMOTION

Take those two sin-bin periods and Longford won the game there and then, 1-6 to 0-1, the damage done by the time Jack Gilheaney was caught lashing out at sub Mark Hughes, a second yellow a brutal reminder of the need to keep your cool at all times, especially when you’ve already been booked.

Did Leitrim’s mid-game surge leave them vulnerable? Did the effort involved mean the tank was running dry enabling Longford to capitalise in the second half? I'd say so but that goes to show what can be achieved by clear and concise thinking under pressure - I thought it strange the week before when Moran commented that Leitrim's wild abandon and passionate play against Carlow might have cost them in the end, it was more clearly illustrated here.

Maybe the pressure of the occasion got to Leitrim, the boost of Wexford's win over Carlow the previous evening adding to those unseen pressures that often inhibit a player or maybe, just maybe,  it all comes down to the fact that Longford were just that little bit better under pressure, perhaps the legacy of a long stay in Division 3?

Truth be told, there was little to take from Sunday's loss - this was a must win game against a local rival and Leitrim came up short. We can moan about cards and decisions and missed chances but Longford were under even more pressure and managed to do what they needed to do - disappointing in the extreme for those of us that see real potential lurking in the Leitrim ranks.

Donal Wrynn handpasses the ball to a teammate Picture: Willie Donnellan

That disappointment has seen a curious reaction - most fans I've interacted with have conceded that promotion is gone, even if the upcoming fixtures give Leitrim a chance, a slim one albeit, of pulling off another Houdini act. It is a strange phenomenon because over the last two weeks, Leitrim fans have astounded me.

The sheer volume of Green & Gold fans who vastly outnumbered the home support in both Netwatch Cullen Park and Glennon Brothers Pearse Park would warm your heart  although the conspicuous lack of numbers at the Ladies game is another thing that harkens back to last year's double header in Aughrim and definitely not in a good way.

Leitrim fans made all the noise in both venues and tried to drive their team across the line - the team will need that support in Portlaoise and that will be a true test of the belief in this squad. A Saturday game on a Bank Holiday weekend and a long journey and the odds firmly against the Green & Gold, that's a scenario that tests the will of fans and players.

For the players, lifting themselves off the ground isn't going to be easy - the sucker punch in Carlow was tough, last Sunday was worse and the evident shock on the faces as disappointed players trooped disconsolately from the field show Andy Moran's biggest task may be to lift his players once more.

THE LAST POINT: TREADING A FINE LINE ON REFEREES

Injuries come into it too - Adam Reynolds and Mark Diffley face a battle to be fit and that doesn't help against a Laois side who have spoken  openly about their disappointment over their loss in Pairc Sean 12 months ago. They may be technically promoted at this stage, barring an incredible series of events,  but I can't imagine Justin McNulty letting his players take this one for granted.

As for double headers, I'd love to see more of them, I'd love to see more Leitrim fans attend both games but most of all, I'd love to see our men's team enjoy them just as much as the Ladies!