'It's a bit like we cheated death'- Laois' Justin McNulty reacts to slender win over Tipperary
Laois needed three late points to secure the victory
Laois’quest to gain promotion out of Division 4 of the Allianz Football Leagues remains on course after Justin McNulty’s side scraped past Tipperary in Sunday’s Round Four clash in Semple Stadium.
The O’Moore County looked on course to drop their first points of the campaign as they trailed for the majority of the second-half before three late points were enough to seal a one-point victory over The Premier County.
Justin McNulty spoke to the media after the contest to give his thoughts on the game.
“I think the sense is, it's a bit like we cheated death. They missed the penalty, which was massive in the game. But at the same time, we had 27 scoring opportunities compared to their 19. So, I think it's a testament to the lads, they dug it out. The game looked to be going away from us, and they still managed to dig it out. I'm just really impressed by the level of intensity, the work rate of the fellas and the number of win-backs they got was extraordinary, so I’m happy with that. I’m sure Tipperary are gutted given the chances that they had but that’s where football goes sometimes,” McNulty said.
Tipperary raised one green flag but they could have easily had a few more had it not been for Killian Roche saving a spot-kick as well as making a fine save as Peter McGarry bore down on goal near the end of the game. Tipperary also rattled the Laois crossbar in the first-half. McNulty knows that it’s something his side need to look into as on a different day, the goals could have gone in and Laois would be on the wrong side of the result.
“I think that's something we need to address. We're coughing up too many goal opportunities and we need to get to the bottom of that now, because we can't be competitive if we're coughing up cheap goal chances. That's something that maybe they didn't punish us as much as they might have done throughout the game and it's something we just have to address,” he said.
Laois didn’t make it easy on themselves by any means as they had to play from the 46th minute up until the 56th minute with a man less due to Evan O’Carroll’s black card for a trip. Tipperary took control of the game in this period as they scored three points on the bounce to push themselves two points ahead.
“It became harder but the lads kept working hard. Things weren't going right for us, passes were going astray and they were missing relatively easy scoring chances. But the guys still dug in, still kept their composure, and stuck out right to the end. The boys off the bench all made an impact. We have a squad of 35, and there's fellas that are really putting their hands up for places,” the Laois manager said.
Although Laois made it four wins from four in the division, McNulty says that the atmosphere in the dressing room was a weird one as the Laois players knew that they got away with one.
“It's almost bizarre going into the dressing room afterwards. Fellas are disappointed, they're disappointed because they know it's a performance we can't and won't be happy with. There's things we have to address. We have to learn like we lost and the fellas are determined and committed to doing so and listen, that bodes well for the future of this team,” he said.
Laois welcome London to Laois Hire O’Moore Park on Saturday evening hoping to keep up their winning run in the league and remain top of the standings. McNulty knows that you can’t take London for granted as they drew to Tipperary in the previous round.
“I saw that game against Tipperary, and they're good players, well coached, well managed, and they know what they're about. If we're not prepared and ready for London next weekend, they'll take us to pieces. We need to be ready for them,” he ended.