Kit Henry feeling "destroyed" following Louth Ladies' relegation to Junior ranks

It was an extremely dejected Louth manager Kit Henry that greeted the assembled local media following his side’s loss at the hands of Roscommon.

It may have been his first year as manager of the Wee County, but that didn’t make the defeat, which confirms their relegation to Junior Football in 2024, any easier.

In his short time at helm, he has seen the talent available, which has made this setback in Kinnegad all the harder to take, given the work and commitment everyone has put in all year, which ultimately was for nothing.

“We got off to a great start with the goal and you’d hope to build on that, but they went up and got a goal too, so it was a tit for tat situation, stuff you don’t like to see leaking into your game” he admitted.

“This is a bitter pill to swallow, and I’m so destroyed now. I’m really heartbroken for the management and the team. I just really feel for those girls.”

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A crucial moment in this tie was the loss of the influential Kate Flood, who spent the opening third of the second half on the sideline, having been awarded a yellow card following a collision with Aoife Gavin.

To their credit, Louth reacted well to this setback and went score for score with Roscommon. However, this extra work rate, on and off the ball, made it tough for a tiring Louth to make an impact late on, as the Connacht side did just enough to get over the line.

“When you are down a player, especially against a quality side like Roscommon, for that 10 minutes you are really going on the defensive” explained Henry.

“Girls are trying to track back and go defensive from your half forward line, trying to work hard up and down that pitch. Then we wanted them to attack too.

“That 10 minutes takes a lot of energy out of you. We did do it well, and when Kate came back on Roscommon kicked on a bit. But we had enough chances after that as well to really push ourselves too.

“It is these fine margins in Gaelic Football, the small percentages, capitalising on their mistakes and really punishing them, that is what is really going to cost you in the end.”

While this loss was tough to take, what may be missed is how many big names were missing from the starting lineup. Despite having so many stars out, the Meath native was full of praise for everyone who put on a Louth jersey.

“We are decimated with injuries. You have Shannen McLaughlin, Ceire Nolan, Rebecca Carr, Ciara Woods, Katlyn O’Reilly, Katie Matthews and the list goes on.

"I have to hand to it to this panel of players, who came out there today and a lot of them died with their boots on them.”