Daz All White with a Point
Credit:
Dundalk claimed a late, late equaliser against high flying Sligo
Rovers through a Mark Quigley penalty, the relief around Oriel Park
was obvious but as far as Lilywhites Assistant Manager Darius Kierans
was concerned it was the least that his team deserved.
“I suppose with three minutes to go and you’re 1-0 down it’s always going to be difficult. We have a very young team but I thought they showed great bit of character to come back into the game. On the balance of play we were the better team and probably deserved to win the game with the better chances. With that said Sligo, for me, are the best team in the league, you know a point against them is a good point.”
Dundalk seemed to lose their way a little after the sending off of Danny Ventre, with Paul Cook sending on a brace of attackers to chase the result, Darius concurred with that view “Up until the sending off we were playing better, when they went down to 10 men I don’t think we passed the ball as well as we had been, we were trying to be too direct and we didn’t stretch them enough. They had a tough game on Thursday night we should have passed the ball more and stretched them more. Maybe we would have created more chances if we had been a bit more patient but overall we’re happy at the end of it.”
The Lilywhites seemed to grow a little anxious as the game wore on seemed drawn to trying to hit sub Johnny Breen with long balls. The Drogheda native didn’t think the introduction of the tall front man was the reason.
“I don’t think so because Mark (Griffin) is very good in the air as well, Jason’s (Byrne) coming on as well, it’s one of them things, you see Greg (Bolger) and Stephen (Maher) in the middle and they’ve got loads of time on the ball and you want them to pass forward nine times out of ten but in a game where a team has gone down to ten men and they are narrow you need to stretch them more and get the full backs more advanced and be a bit more patient. We probably had too much urgency about us its one of them things where we learn from it as well, we haven’t played against 10 men much this year so all in all we’re happy enough with the end result.”
Danny Ventre was controversially sent off after being adjudged guilty of a dive to earn a second yellow and Darius had some sympathy for the Sligo player.
“From where I was to be honest I didn’t think it was a yellow card but we are a bit away the referee is closer to it. If it was against us we’d probably be having a go as well but the ref was closer than what I am. When you are on a yellow card you’re living dangerously, Ross (Gaynor) was the same for us after kicking the ball away in the first half and you’re living dangerously from that point on with a yellow card that early. Speaking to Carl McHugh he said that he didn’t touch him, he stood up and he said that (Danny) Ventre has kind of gone into him and dived over his leg and he thought it was a yellow card and he’s closer to it than I am.”
Next up is the Co Louth derby where ex employers are in resurgent mood, was he excited at the prospect. “I’m really looking forward to it, I watched Drogheda playing Bray on Friday night and Mick (Cooke)and Robbie (Horgan) have done a great job. They have near enough a whole new team, they’re very organised, they have experience they’ve brought in Dave Rogers, they have plenty of youthful players as well. They work extremely hard they have a very good shape about them. It’s going to be a very difficult game for us. The boys are up for it they beat us here and it’s still sore with some of the boys so we’ll go down and hopefully assert our own game and collect the 3 points but it certainly ain’t going to be easy.”
“I suppose with three minutes to go and you’re 1-0 down it’s always going to be difficult. We have a very young team but I thought they showed great bit of character to come back into the game. On the balance of play we were the better team and probably deserved to win the game with the better chances. With that said Sligo, for me, are the best team in the league, you know a point against them is a good point.”
Dundalk seemed to lose their way a little after the sending off of Danny Ventre, with Paul Cook sending on a brace of attackers to chase the result, Darius concurred with that view “Up until the sending off we were playing better, when they went down to 10 men I don’t think we passed the ball as well as we had been, we were trying to be too direct and we didn’t stretch them enough. They had a tough game on Thursday night we should have passed the ball more and stretched them more. Maybe we would have created more chances if we had been a bit more patient but overall we’re happy at the end of it.”
The Lilywhites seemed to grow a little anxious as the game wore on seemed drawn to trying to hit sub Johnny Breen with long balls. The Drogheda native didn’t think the introduction of the tall front man was the reason.
“I don’t think so because Mark (Griffin) is very good in the air as well, Jason’s (Byrne) coming on as well, it’s one of them things, you see Greg (Bolger) and Stephen (Maher) in the middle and they’ve got loads of time on the ball and you want them to pass forward nine times out of ten but in a game where a team has gone down to ten men and they are narrow you need to stretch them more and get the full backs more advanced and be a bit more patient. We probably had too much urgency about us its one of them things where we learn from it as well, we haven’t played against 10 men much this year so all in all we’re happy enough with the end result.”
Danny Ventre was controversially sent off after being adjudged guilty of a dive to earn a second yellow and Darius had some sympathy for the Sligo player.
“From where I was to be honest I didn’t think it was a yellow card but we are a bit away the referee is closer to it. If it was against us we’d probably be having a go as well but the ref was closer than what I am. When you are on a yellow card you’re living dangerously, Ross (Gaynor) was the same for us after kicking the ball away in the first half and you’re living dangerously from that point on with a yellow card that early. Speaking to Carl McHugh he said that he didn’t touch him, he stood up and he said that (Danny) Ventre has kind of gone into him and dived over his leg and he thought it was a yellow card and he’s closer to it than I am.”
Next up is the Co Louth derby where ex employers are in resurgent mood, was he excited at the prospect. “I’m really looking forward to it, I watched Drogheda playing Bray on Friday night and Mick (Cooke)and Robbie (Horgan) have done a great job. They have near enough a whole new team, they’re very organised, they have experience they’ve brought in Dave Rogers, they have plenty of youthful players as well. They work extremely hard they have a very good shape about them. It’s going to be a very difficult game for us. The boys are up for it they beat us here and it’s still sore with some of the boys so we’ll go down and hopefully assert our own game and collect the 3 points but it certainly ain’t going to be easy.”
