McNulty wants to see Laois improvement despite big win over Leitrim

You’d have thought Justin McNulty would have been a pretty happy man after a 23 point victory in Ballinamore but the Laois manager saw the need for improvement as they prepare to take on Sligo next week.

Chatting with the Observer after the game, McNulty felt his team’s three goal salvo in the first ten minutes decided the contest: “I guess that was the story of the game. We just opened a gap in the first half which they couldn't really claw back. We got a few breakthrough goals and the fellas worked hard to create those opportunities and they kept nailing all the scores after that, so the game was probably over as a contest at halftime, but at the same time there were still big areas for improvement for us.”

But for all that, McNulty wants improvement as Sligo loom large: “We can't be happy with the way we weren't as fluent in our play as we could have been in the second half. We had way too many wides in the second half and we probably weren't as ruthless as we could have been. We really know that next week is a different ballgame. We need to be so much more improved for Sligo, who are hurting and coming with all guns blazing to Portlaoise, we've got to be ready for that.”

The former Armagh star admitted he was surprised by the scale of Laois’ victory: “There's no give me games in Division 3. There were in Division 4 and both ourselves and Leitrim came up last year. It's hard to believe Leitrim beat us last year in the league, given the scoreline today. But that's what's happened with Leitrim with some of the personnel injuries they've had.

"We were just lucky to get a run, because Leitrim really could have won last week against Clare. They showed real promise last week and we were really, really worried about coming up here. We got a run, we got a bit of momentum in the first half and we got away from them.”

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McNulty was also pleased with how his team performed given the influx of new faces in the O’Moore County squad: “We're pleased with that, we're encouraged with that. Some of the fellas who've stepped into the breach in terms of making debuts and second games out for Laois.

“I think the fellas were patient. They waited for the right man to take possession. They tried to slip in to get the scoring opportunities. It was a combination of our play and Leitrim were probably not the strongest in midfield with the depletion they've had through personnel injuries-wise and guys not available. 

“The new guys performed well and consistently, but we still think there's a huge area for improvement. We think they can be better and we think the team can be better, much better than we were today and we need to be much better than we were today next week.”