Lennon: ‘Time to put points on the board’

Ladies face Tipp test after Armagh defeat

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Dan Dooner

Roscommon Ladies football manager, Ollie Lennon, says there are plenty of reasons for optimism despite his side falling to defeat in both of their games in Lidl Ladies National Football League Division Two so far.

Speaking to the Roscommon People following last Sunday’s 2-13 to 0-12 defeat to Aimee Mackin-inspired Armagh at Kiltoom, Ollie said he was pleased with his players’ efforts.

“We were very, very happy particularly with the firsthalf performance against Armagh and probably right up to around the 50th minute mark,” he said.

“We asked them lots of questions in that first half and it was just very unfortunate that we gave away that second-half penalty (converted by Mackin)…it was an uphill battle after that.

“I think we’ve learned a lot from the first two games and the girls can now see that Division Two is very competitive.

“We’ve probably been a bit unfortunate not to take anything from the first two games but I think we’ve shown we’re well able to compete at this level. The girls have seen that there’s nothing to be afraid of”.

While there is some satisfaction with the level of performance following the step up to Division Two, Ollie knows that results are all important if Roscommon wish to stay there.

“It’s all well and good talking about performances and being competitive but we want to get points on the board. We’re focussed on Tipperary now and we will be looking to remain competitive while continuing to play our football,” Ollie said.

“We’re coming off the back of a Connacht U-16 ‘A’ title last year and we have three of those girls in training with us as well as four minor players.

“Like many counties in ladies’ football, we’ve had a huge turnover of players and this is basically a new team.

But already they’re putting it up to teams in Division Two,” he concluded.

Roscommon were indeed competitive last Sunday and but for the concession of a self-inflicted goal may have had a half-time cushion. As it was, Mackin pounced on a poor Sasha Lavin kickout and the sides went in level at 0-9 to 1-6.

There was a little more daylight between the sides in the second half but the hosts again gave a good account of themselves before Mackin struck from the penalty spot following a foul on Kelly Mallon.

While the result went the way of the Ulster side, Roscommon, who were best served by Laura Fleming, Aisling Hanly, Lisa O’Rourke, Aisling Feeley, and Róisín Wynne, can have reasons for optimism ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Tipperary in Fethard.

*Roscommon’s third round NFL Division Three match against Tipperary takes place at 2 pm in Fethard on Sunday. The game will be streamed on the LGFA website.