Glynn looking for improvement
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Hoarse, tired, and visibly deflated following his side’s opening night defeat, Mervue United manager Johnny Glynn emerged from the vacated dressing rooms at Terryland Park long after the stands had emptied on Friday night.
As he strolled over for his final press engagement of the night, Glynn would have been forgiven for demanding a short appraisal of events but, as is his nature, he imposed no time-limits and even acknowledged a young fan with a warm handshake before talking exclusively to extratime.ie.
Acknowledging that his side had got off to a horrendous start, Glynn remarked that the pomp and ceremony that preceded the game may have had an effect on his side in the early stages.
“It’s an awful start for us,” he said. “I think the occasion definitely got us. You try and do everything right to get that right and I suppose, as a manager, I have to take some responsibility. You throw in the national anthem, parades and all this stuff. We were nervous all over the pitch in the first twenty minutes.
“I couldn’t point a finger at the younger players, and then our more experienced lads were making basic errors and things weren’t happening for them.”
Noel McGee’s opening goal was no more than Athlone deserved for a bright opening spell and it took a splendid Ryan Griffin penalty save to keep Mervue in touch. Glynn admitted that his team talk at the interval was a simple one.
“I said to the lads at half-time, ‘If we try to play worse we couldn’t have’. We did come back into it alright in the second half but then, even after that, they had a lot of chances. We have a lot to do.”
An intensive Sunday morning training session went ahead despite the freezing wind and hailstones that lashed the club’s impressive training facility at Fahy’s Field. There can be no questioning the Mervue squad’s commitment to the cause and Glynn remains confident that the hard work that is being put in will bear dividends.
“The lads are very disappointed, as I am as well. It’s my job to pick them up,” Glynn pointed out. “It’s the first match of 33 and I think we’ll have learned a lot from tonight. We can only improve.”
Mervue achieved notable wins last year away to Shamrock Rovers and Derry City in the A championship. The first road trip of their First Division campaign sees them travel south to take on Limerick FC next Friday.
As he strolled over for his final press engagement of the night, Glynn would have been forgiven for demanding a short appraisal of events but, as is his nature, he imposed no time-limits and even acknowledged a young fan with a warm handshake before talking exclusively to extratime.ie.
Acknowledging that his side had got off to a horrendous start, Glynn remarked that the pomp and ceremony that preceded the game may have had an effect on his side in the early stages.
“It’s an awful start for us,” he said. “I think the occasion definitely got us. You try and do everything right to get that right and I suppose, as a manager, I have to take some responsibility. You throw in the national anthem, parades and all this stuff. We were nervous all over the pitch in the first twenty minutes.
“I couldn’t point a finger at the younger players, and then our more experienced lads were making basic errors and things weren’t happening for them.”
Noel McGee’s opening goal was no more than Athlone deserved for a bright opening spell and it took a splendid Ryan Griffin penalty save to keep Mervue in touch. Glynn admitted that his team talk at the interval was a simple one.
“I said to the lads at half-time, ‘If we try to play worse we couldn’t have’. We did come back into it alright in the second half but then, even after that, they had a lot of chances. We have a lot to do.”
An intensive Sunday morning training session went ahead despite the freezing wind and hailstones that lashed the club’s impressive training facility at Fahy’s Field. There can be no questioning the Mervue squad’s commitment to the cause and Glynn remains confident that the hard work that is being put in will bear dividends.
“The lads are very disappointed, as I am as well. It’s my job to pick them up,” Glynn pointed out. “It’s the first match of 33 and I think we’ll have learned a lot from tonight. We can only improve.”
Mervue achieved notable wins last year away to Shamrock Rovers and Derry City in the A championship. The first road trip of their First Division campaign sees them travel south to take on Limerick FC next Friday.
About Alan Dooley
is one of Extratime's longest serving contributors. Based in County Galway, Alan has been following the League of Ireland since the mid-1980s. His first memory of the drama of domestic football was Vinny Arkins, then … View Full Profile