Connolly: ‘Some days the rub of the green is just against you’

Despite seeing their chance to retain the Tom Ticher Cup go amiss, Rice College joint-manager Darragh Connolly said he was immensely proud of the journey his team has been on this season.

The boys in blue and white paid the price following a slow start, which saw them concede inside four minutes. Although they enjoyed plenty of possession, a gilt-edged chance never really arrived in spite of Rian Durkan hitting the post with a stunning volley late in the first half.

“I’m very proud of the lads. I think they played an excellent game. A little bit slow to get off the mark, which obviously affected us in the first-half.

“We created chances, but I don't think we just created that gilt-edged chance that we could convert. So disappointed, but extremely proud of the way the lads played.” 

Connolly added: “I think when we went in at half-time we were happy. I wouldn't say overly happy but we had the upperhand the last 10 minutes I felt. I suppose it took us a little bit longer than usual to figure out their style of play.

“We like to play the ball on the ground and we maybe didn't get to do that as much as we wanted in the first-half. But the last 10 minutes, as I said, we started doing it, we started creating chances. I mean, a couple of millimetres was the difference between us equalising.

“We went in at half-time pretty confident that we could employ our style in the second-half and I think to be fair, we did. I think they were on the back ropes for a lot of it. We just couldn't convert it, which is a shame for the lads.” 

Connolly also felt they should have been awarded a ‘stonewall penalty’ when Ben Holmes looked to have been brought down by the Portmarnock goalkeeper.

“I'm not going to comment on it and make a scene of it but you kind of get my feelings on it. I thought it was stonewall to be perfectly honest, as did most of the crowd here.

“On these days things like that go for you, things like that don't. These guys have been around this calibre of football for long enough to know that some days the rub of the green is for you and maybe today just wasn't that day for us.” 

It has been a remarkable journey for much of this group, with three consecutive Tom Ticher Cup final appearances and a victory last year. Many of this team will now play in the U19 competition next season (Dr Tony O’Neill Cup) and Connolly believes soccer is in a “brilliant place in Westport”.

“It's becoming a thing where Connacht titles aren't even… I think they're nearly overlooked. I mean, there's years where the school maybe has gone without Connacht titles and now we're breezing through that without thinking we're onto the next game.

“I think these guys deserve massive, massive credit for what they've done this year and the achievements they've made, back-to-back All-Irelands, it was three (finals) in-a-row.

“I wouldn't be surprised to see this gang back here again.”