Big win sends Offaly star to Rome for 'match of his life' in buoyant form

ABSOLUTELY thrilled with Offaly's hard earned Leinster Senior Football Championship win over Longford on Sunday, Peter Cunningham flew out to Rome later that evening in the very best of spirits as he prepared for the “match of his life” this week.

The long serving Offaly star is getting married to Bracknagh woman, Ruth Byrne in the stunning Italian capital later in the week and he smiled afterwards as the reality dawned that their planned stay will have to be cut short for a big match of a very different kind – Offaly's quarter-final at home to Meath on Sunday week.

With footballing duties taking up a huge amount of his spare time in recent months, a lot of the wedding planning fell to his bride to be and the challenges of negotiating his schedule for the Meath showdown could be more testing than the ones provided by Longford on Sunday!!

Cunningham was in outstanding form at the heart of the Offaly defence, moving superbly and cutting out a lot of ball. The Bracknagh man produced his best game of the season, a man of the match one as he raced forward to score a crucial goal and a point.

Defensive heroics laid the foundation for Offaly's win and Cunningham remarked afterwards: “We kind of knew from the league game that if we didn't concede goals we were going to win it. We conceded one and left it hard on ourselves but overall we were the better team on the day. We had one job at the start that we set out with Liam (Kearns) and it was to stay in Division 3 and to win this first round of the Leinster and get a crack at Meath at home. We are after doing that for him and for everyone. It was great for us.”

He was asked about the huge volume of ball Offaly managed to turnover without fouling. “We have been working on that all year, trying to get the defensive structure right. When you don't concede frees you are in with a chance of winning every game and we are after working hard on our defensive structure in the last few months and it is starting to pay off.”

Cunningham had been threatening this type of performance all year and he was asked about his own personal display. “I am happy enough. When we win by a point, I don't mind how I play or anyone else. Everyone obviously tries their best every game and some times, it doesn't happen for everyone but we are glad to win. If we were asked before we came down would we take a point win and 100% we would have took your arm off for it.”

He is looking forward to seeing how they get on against Meath. “We are expecting a massive crowd out for that. It is a great chance and we have been looking forward to a crack at Meath at home all year.”

With Dublin and Kildare in the other half of the draw, there is an opportunity for every team in Offaly's half: them, Meath, Louth and Westmeath. Is that something ye would have talked about as a group?

“Of course. Look, we fancy ourselves against most teams in Leinster. We put in a good performance against Westmeath that day (in the league) and the goal let us down with ten minutes to go. We fancy ourselves to give Louth, Westmeath and Meath all a crack. We think we are on a level playing field with them all. We don't mind who we get. We just take it game by game and as it comes.”

Sunday's game was played at Longford where Liam Kearns was in charge for his final game before his sudden death a week later. “There has been mixed emotions since that happened but in fairness to the lads, they are all after standing up, even the young lads have put their hands up. Everyone is rolling together and it is the best bunch we have been involved with, everyone has each other's backs and that is what Offaly football needs.”