Make or break time for Offaly footballers

AFTER losing their first four games, Offaly have reached make or break time in Division 3 of the National Football League. They have three games left to salvage their Division 3 status, three very winnable ones against Wicklow (home), Sligo (away) and Limerick (home) but with almost no margin for error, the pressure is enormous and one horror show could relegate them.

That horror show is very much in Offaly's repertoire and despite being very competitive so far, they find themselves on very icy ground. Wicklow is next up in Tullamore next Sunday and this is an absolutely must win game for Offaly – while two wins and four points could be enough to keep Offaly up, a defeat on Sunday will probably see them go down.

That would be a nightmare outcome for the players and management and they certainly should not be in such a dire predicament. They should have at least three points on the board and if they did, the relegation pressure would be much lighter – Offaly should have got a draw in Antrim and they gifted Clare two points in Tullamore when they somehow coughed up a nine point lead and then missed a last gasp penalty to win it, Peter Cunningham blasting over the bar.

They were competitive against Westmeath, though they were second best on the day while they performed well in last Saturday's 4-12 to 2-14 defeat by Down in Newry. Offaly missed four very good goal chances and it would not have taken a lot for them to get something out of it.

They have been close to clicking into form, though it hasn't quite happened. Encouragingly, they have shown signs of improvement in every game and they look to be moving in the right direction but as manager Declan Kelly said in Newry, they haven't got a result yet and that is the bottom line.

There has been evidence of some turbulence in the camp. Cian Farrell exchanged words with the manager after being taken off before half time in the calamitous defeat to Clare and he was left off the panel for last week's trip to Newry.

There was speculation on Saturday that he had opted out of the panel but Declan Kelly said that all he knew was that Farrell did not make the match day 26. It will be interesting to see if he is back in the fold for the Wicklow game.

Another forward Dylan Hyland also had an angry reaction when taken off after 20 minutes in Newry. Hyland refused to shake the hand of Declan Kelly and then banged his hand off a railing as he joined the subs in the stand. His early replacement, however, had an innocent explanation as Hyland had hurt his groin during the pre-match warm up and then seemed to aggravate it during the match. Kelly explained that the Raheen man was taken off as a precaution to make sure he is available this Sunday and had admitted at half time that he should not have reacted the way he did.

That is all fair enough. Hyland has developed into an outstanding forward in the past couple of seasons and his importance to the Offaly team is considerable. He can be temperamental at times, his reaction was a spur of the moment one and as Kelly said, he just wanted to play.

Kelly's desire to have him for the big games ahead was also an understandable one and Offaly's three biggest games of the campaign lie ahead of them. Hyland's performances will be crucial as Offaly bid to retain their Division 3 status.

There is pressure on both management and players now. There was always going to be a bedding in period as Declan Kelly tries to raise the bar and the possibility of uneasiness between him and some players was present from the minute he was appointed. The team, however, is very close to finding really good form, the players clearly want to perform and patience is the biggest requirement at the moment. There are players who have got limited game time or not made the 26 after playing the previous game but everyone needs to keep their shoulder to the wheel and keep going in the one direction.

They could really do with staying up, though relegation was always a possibility as team building and transition takes place.

Encouragingly, some of Offaly's talented younger guns performed very well in Down. Lee Pearson, Cormac Egan, John Furlong, Jack Bryant and Keith O'Neill all showed their potential while Cathal Flynn also breathed life into the team when introduced. The introduction and establishment of players from the 2021 All-Ireland U-20 champions will be one of Kelly's big goals and bringing young players up to the pace and physicality is crucial.

Pearson has already established himself while Rory Egan has also played a lot of senior football for Offaly and he came on midway during the second half. Cormac Egan has really prospered in a new role at wing back. The Tullamore flier had been struggling in the attack but has been a different animal in defence, getting on the ball much more and tearing forward at pace while his tackling and general defending has been of a high order. He has shown how a player can benefit from games while Keith O'Neill and Jack Bryant firmly grasped their chance on Saturday.

O'Neill scored 1-2 and caused consternation in the Down defence when on the ball. The Clonbullogue man had a particularly good second half while Jack Bryant also showed his class, converting some good frees, doing the simple thing well as well as netting a goal.

Young players will also have bad days and it is all a delicate balancing act at the moment as Kelly strives for the correct combination of youth and experience. It is why people need to give everyone a chance and it really is a three year project with Kelly at the helm.

Survival, however, would be a very welcome boost and Offaly still have their fate in their own hands. It looks like it will boil down to Offaly, Wicklow and Limerick for the two places in Division 4 next year. The trio are pointless but Offaly's scoring difference is considerably better: -10 compared to -26 for Wicklow and -31 for Limerick. That is a help as it means wins over Wicklow and Limerick should be enough and a defeat in Sligo may not prove fatal.

That scoring difference is unlikely to be overhauled and if Offaly do suffer a defeat, it is likely to be a very narrow one. Offaly should certainly be capable of beating Wicklow and Limerick on home turf but both matches are far from a formality. They have lost to both in the past and it really is squeaky bum time for Offaly now.

It is a huge test for the players and Sunday's visit from Wicklow will dictate so much. Offaly should win but as they showed against Clare, you can take nothing for granted with this group of players and they will have to perform very well.