Moran happy to come out on top after enormous Leitrim effort in Ruislip

Leitrim London games are beginning to take on a life of their own and you sense that Andy Moran was both happy and relieved that his team came away with both points from Sunday’s Allianz League Division 4 clash in McGovern Emerald Park.

Reflecting on two games between the counties  last year, Andy was not surprised with how tight Sunday’s game was: “We probably felt unlucky last year in the league and London probably felt unlucky in the championship, and today was another of those ding-dongs and just very happy that we came out on top.  

“It was an enormous effort with the 20 guys who played. We had a tough long day yesterday coming over, and just to get the result was the main thing for us.”

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What particularly impressed Moran was Leitrim’s players’ response to London drawing level with just over seven minutes of normal time left on the clock: “All the lads here have to take huge credit. We saw Wexford last week, coming back from seven points down to equalise. 

“Us last year, we were eight points up and they brought us back to a point and Donal Wrynn got the last-minute goal. So there was never a stage here today, even when London went down to 14-men, that we thought we were home and hosed. London were always going to come back. 

“They brought on Kevin McCarthy, they brought on James Gallagher - they’re two right good players. One from Kerry, one from Antrim. We know all about Gallagher - he did real damage against us last year. Put on an outstanding display against Sligo last year in the Tailteann Cup and then again today when he came on. He’s just a really, really good player.”

The Leitrim manager admitted he was disappointed with the goal his team conceded: “We’d be very disappointed with the goal we conceded. I think Adam Reynolds has it and I think it’s a good challenge by one of the London lads - a really good tackle and he just dispossessed Adam.”

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The Leitrim manager again highlighted the impact Keith Beirne has on a game: “Keith Beirne is a unique character, he’s a unique player. It didn’t go his way there for, give-or-take, 45 minutes, and he’s feeling his hamstring and all of a sudden he scores 1-3 to win us the game. I just think that’s an outstanding characteristic. 

“His buddy from Maothail, Jordan Reynolds, brilliant. Jack Heslin did really well at times. Mark Plunkett struggled when he came on for a while but he got the assist to get the last score for Keith. 

“I think all the young fellas did really, really well, like Paul Keaney. It was Paul’s second start ever for Leitrim - I thought he did really well. Adam Reynolds, who wasn’t in the squad ten weeks ago, battled his way into it. 

“Paddy Maguire couldn’t start today and he did really, really well. I mentioned the subs last week, and the subs probably won us the game there at the end. Tom Prior and all the guys.”

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One area to work on is the concession of frees but Andy put that down to London’s style of play as much as anything else: “I think it’s the way London plays. They run down the channel, and you have to go in and tackle them and sometimes, it’s a free. You have to tackle them and if the ref calls it a foul, it’s a foul.  

“Last year, I remember we had a gripe where we said they got way more scoreable frees than us, but when I look back they were all frees, and we just didn’t earn any. We like to kick the ball a lot and London like to run the ball a lot. And when they’re running through that channel with the men they’ve got it’s hard to stop them.”