Lessons need to be learned from Longford draw - Garrity

This young Leitrim team will have no one to blame but themselves for letting a win in their Lidl LGFA NFL Division 4 clash with Longford slip through their grasp, according to manager Johnny Garrity.

Leitrim led Longford by four points with five minutes to go but a hard-fought comeback and some good shooting from Kamille Burke salvaged a draw for the visitors and typical of Garrity, the Leitrim manager did not hide behind excuses.

“We gave them oxygen; we gave away so much, so much cheap possession, and unfortunately, it's reminiscent of the Antrim game last week,” Garrity told Observer, “It turned into a dog fight, and unfortunately, when it does, anything can happen.” 

Despite a disappointing finish, Leitrim were in control for most of the game and showed positive signs, especially at the back, with Clare Owens and Jasmine Maye both putting in big performances. Ailbhe Clancy, Muireann Devaney, and Leah Fox were converting well at the other end. However, they never found the smoothness they have shown themselves capable of so far in the league.

“Passing and passing execution let us down, and when that happens, a malaise sets in over the course of your performance. Unfortunately, that is what happened to us today.”

The young team is still looking to find consistent form as they have failed to get over the line in big games against rivals Fermanagh and Antrim in the league so far. A big result in the last round would spark life into their season.

“You gain momentum from getting scores and victories, and at the moment, we are stumbling along without very much of either. When that happens, confidence can take a hit. We are always one match away from turning the corner on that; we are just one performance away from getting the heads back up, so that's the challenge for us,” said Garrity.

Though tough losses will provide valuable experience for this Leitrim team if they can learn from them. “It is absolutely a massive experience; we are gaining loads of learning opportunities from it, but we have to put them into practice. Otherwise, they are just losses.”

The result means Leitrim will need a win in their final league game next weekend to qualify for the playoffs of the competition: "We are obviously right in the hunt for a place in the last four, but I'm not sure. I don't think it is guaranteed at this point, so it is going to be a big match.”