Gallagher content despite letting lead slip
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FINN Harps manager James Gallagher was fairly philosophical in the aftermath of Friday night’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Limerick in the 2011 Airtricity League season opener.
The Harps boss didn’t hide his discontent at seeing his side twice relinquish a one-goal advantage and have a man sent-off for what seemed a pretty innocuous, 50/50 challenge.
But all in all, an unbeaten start against one of the favourites for the First Division title was enough to leave Gallagher satisfied with what he’d seen.
He said: “We’ve a good record at home so we’ve kept that going and we’re satisfied in that sense. It was a tough night, loads of incidents and probably a lot of talking points for the wrong reasons.
“I thought there was good football played at times, by both sides, especially in the second half. I felt we didn’t pass the ball or keep the ball as well as we would’ve liked in the first half. We just kept giving the ball back needlessly.”
Gallagher was annoyed his side weren’t afforded the chance to make it 3-1 when Gareth Harkin latched onto a loose ball, following a foul from Pat Purcell on Mark Forker, only for play to be halted by the referee.
“I thought we knocked the ball about nicely in the second half but the game was then turned on its head when Gareth Harkin was going through and we could have had the game out of sight at 3-1. It was a strange decision and a few more things followed that.”
Harps showed something they maybe lacked last season in that after being pegged back to 1-1, they showed the fiery underbelly to go after the game once more and were duly rewarded when Gareth Harkin converted from close range early in the second half.
A mixture of dire refereeing and some bad luck put paid to that enterprise, though, as Paudie Quinn made sure the sides left with a share of the points.
“We knew coming here tonight that win, lose or draw, it was the first game. But with the squad I’ve put together I’m delighted with it and I’ve real belief in it. I just thought in the first half with Limerick being such a fancied side that maybe we just didn’t go about our game in the way we should’ve.
“But in the second half it was more a case of, if we have it keep it, don’t be giving it back to them as easy as we were. We got at them a lot better, I thought we could hurt them down the sides and we did that with some fantastic diagonal balls. But they definitely showed in the first half why they are such a fancied side,” said Gallagher.
The Harps boss was diplomatic in his appraisal of Forker and O’Flynn’s dismissals, and felt the latter’s came as a result of refereeing incompetence displayed toward the former.
“I don’t think either should’ve been a sending-off, to be fair,” he said. “With Mark Forker, I think the ref was the only one who thought that was a sending off. The Limerick boys were very vocal and any time a challenge went in I think he was sucked into that a wee bit.
“The two boys went in identical for the ball so how he can deem one to be a red and the other not is strange. And the bit of skirmish (between O’Flynn and Mailey) I think he is just levelling it up but it’s not the right thing to do.
“The referee’s don’t need to even out games when it comes to red cards. They’re there to do the job and make the right decisions. Obviously, they are human beings and they’ll not get it right all the time, but I just felt that there was some very big calls tonight that were just wrong decisions,” commented Gallagher.
Watch James Gallagher talking at the Airtricity League Launch 2011
The Harps boss didn’t hide his discontent at seeing his side twice relinquish a one-goal advantage and have a man sent-off for what seemed a pretty innocuous, 50/50 challenge.
But all in all, an unbeaten start against one of the favourites for the First Division title was enough to leave Gallagher satisfied with what he’d seen.
He said: “We’ve a good record at home so we’ve kept that going and we’re satisfied in that sense. It was a tough night, loads of incidents and probably a lot of talking points for the wrong reasons.
“I thought there was good football played at times, by both sides, especially in the second half. I felt we didn’t pass the ball or keep the ball as well as we would’ve liked in the first half. We just kept giving the ball back needlessly.”
Gallagher was annoyed his side weren’t afforded the chance to make it 3-1 when Gareth Harkin latched onto a loose ball, following a foul from Pat Purcell on Mark Forker, only for play to be halted by the referee.
“I thought we knocked the ball about nicely in the second half but the game was then turned on its head when Gareth Harkin was going through and we could have had the game out of sight at 3-1. It was a strange decision and a few more things followed that.”
Harps showed something they maybe lacked last season in that after being pegged back to 1-1, they showed the fiery underbelly to go after the game once more and were duly rewarded when Gareth Harkin converted from close range early in the second half.
A mixture of dire refereeing and some bad luck put paid to that enterprise, though, as Paudie Quinn made sure the sides left with a share of the points.
“We knew coming here tonight that win, lose or draw, it was the first game. But with the squad I’ve put together I’m delighted with it and I’ve real belief in it. I just thought in the first half with Limerick being such a fancied side that maybe we just didn’t go about our game in the way we should’ve.
“But in the second half it was more a case of, if we have it keep it, don’t be giving it back to them as easy as we were. We got at them a lot better, I thought we could hurt them down the sides and we did that with some fantastic diagonal balls. But they definitely showed in the first half why they are such a fancied side,” said Gallagher.
The Harps boss was diplomatic in his appraisal of Forker and O’Flynn’s dismissals, and felt the latter’s came as a result of refereeing incompetence displayed toward the former.
“I don’t think either should’ve been a sending-off, to be fair,” he said. “With Mark Forker, I think the ref was the only one who thought that was a sending off. The Limerick boys were very vocal and any time a challenge went in I think he was sucked into that a wee bit.
“The two boys went in identical for the ball so how he can deem one to be a red and the other not is strange. And the bit of skirmish (between O’Flynn and Mailey) I think he is just levelling it up but it’s not the right thing to do.
“The referee’s don’t need to even out games when it comes to red cards. They’re there to do the job and make the right decisions. Obviously, they are human beings and they’ll not get it right all the time, but I just felt that there was some very big calls tonight that were just wrong decisions,” commented Gallagher.
Watch James Gallagher talking at the Airtricity League Launch 2011
