Extra-time League Final classic will bring St Mary's on for championship

The intensity of last Saturday's ACL Division 1 Final will only benefit St Mary's Kiltoghert ahead of the start of the Connacht Gold SFC believes manager Alan Flynn after the Carrick men prevailed 2-17 to 0-21 after extra-time over Fenagh St Caillins in Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada.

Speaking after their victory, the St Mary's manager dismissed any concern that the game will leave them drained for the start of the championship: “You couldn't buy that kind of a session tonight - you'd need a few weeks of training to get something like that done. So  the lads will recover well, they're in great nick, they're in unbelievable shape to be honest and the guys that came in off the bench.

“We have a few more that will be back from injury over the next few weeks. So I've no doubt that we're looking forward to the championship and please God, we'll get a good run at it.”

The St Mary's manager praised the character shown by his troops: “Fenagh were always going to come with a purple patch and they got a couple of two or three two-pointers that closed the gap but I have to say I felt our lads always responded, they battled so well. You could see a lot of lads were fatigued in normal time and extra time but the way, even a few instances out there near the stand guys tackling, putting in tackles, winning vital balls, I thought it was outstanding.

“I was very proud of them because you know sometimes, maybe their character and their ability to win these kind of very physical encounters is questioned. Maybe that happens for a lot of Town teams, I don’t know but that's my experience of it so I don't think there's anything lacking in that regard.”

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Analysing the game, praised the contribution of the players who were reintroduced to the fray in extra time: “Great game, wonderful match and great, great entertainment. I suppose, a couple of times probably, both teams probably felt they had it and we were delighted to get that.

“Conor's two-pointer was probably deserving to win considering how tight the game was and  it was such a brave shot he took on and I'm delighted for him and delighted for the team. It was a great time to get that score and I thought we controlled it very well after that.

“We definitely did a lot of good things in extra time because it's a pressurised situation and lads are very tired at that stage obviously; and particularly with the new rules the game is so up and down but I thought I was telling as well the contribution of a few lads that came in again after extra time.

“They maybe brought a little bit of renewed energy and they got through a couple of the gaps and they allowed us to hold on to possession in those last minutes or 90 seconds whatever it was.”

Cian Singleton, normally a defender or a roving player around the middle of the field, grabbed two crucial goals in the first half but Alan wasn’t surprised: “Outstanding, I think Cian has been shown that kind of form actually over the last six weeks, four weeks at least and just very very good in his feet.

“A good footballer is a good footballer and he's been proving that for us for the last number of years that I've been involved with St Mary’s and he's got a chance in there and we decided we'd have a go and see how he got on in there and he did very well today so I'm delighted for him as well because he's had a lot of injuries over the last couple of years and a lot of setbacks and he's just having a good run of form at the moment.”

Keeper Killian Gaffey also made two big saves which the St Mary’s manager agreed were huge turning points even if he admitted the new champions have work to do on their own kickouts: “We have a bit of work to do on our own kickouts and getting the possession. We have definitely improved it in extra time and we got those two or three away and that made a big difference.

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“But if you're coming on one-on-ones with Killian Gaffey, it better be a good shot because Killian is an outstanding keeper and he's a very high reputation in that regard. We got the two goals and there were a couple of chances that Killian saved and when there's only a point or a couple of points in the difference, it does have a huge momentum in the swing of a game you know.

Looking ahead, Alan also sees a wide open championship: “There's a lot of really, really good strong teams in the Leitrim Championship. I think it's grown substantially - this is my fourth year here with St Mary's and I think there's a lot of teams that would all be fancying their chances to do well in the Championship.

“I suppose the money would say that we're a good bit down the list but there's a lot of teams ahead of us but I've no doubt that we'll be a match for any team when we play to our ability and I suppose that's the key and it's part of my job is to try and make sure that we put in a performance that'll match that.”