Sligo Rovers WILL win this league
Well last night we got beat 3-1 and said already, if that's the best of the rest i'm not too worried. It wasnt a 3-1 game and Rovers were unlucky not to have at equalised by the time Dub City scored with a fluke goal to make it 3.
The first goal was a free header and there can be no qualms about it. O'Hara stayed on his line when he should really have come and punched it clear. The 2nd goal was offside and the linesman on that side let the play go on. Shocking decision but a neat finish from their guy as he round O'Hara and scored from a tight angle.
The officiating at the game bordered on blatant cheating. How three different officials can either be that bad or that biased is beyond me. Really and truly there were shocking and gave 90 % of everything to the 'home' team. It was a disgrace. Liam Burns went off after coming out of a 50-50 tackle he won badly. their no 11 just slid through with the studs showing. although it was a 50-50 tackle and the tackle was only light in comparision to the rest of the assaults that went on all night. We managed to get one back before half-time although i was full sure the 'linesman' on our side would flag for something. She should never be allowed back into an Eircom League ground.
Second half was all rovers and the linesman who failed to flag a blatant offside in the first half was suddenly able to call them against rovers by the narrowest of margins, everytime. Paul brown ran from behind a defender and around him, for example, and was flagged offside. Dublin city never intended to play football and the amount of coward thug tackling they produced was a disgrace. The ref wouldnt book for these cynical fouls yet was only too willing when rovers tackled back. there were two incidents in the second half were both raf and faz i think were taken out in successive tackles yet the 'independant official' waved play on. Dublin resorted to kicking , fouling and diving - if my team were doing that i'd feel ashamed. Dublin got down the line once in the second half and and crap cross was missed by o'hara and the ball hit carr and rolled in. Bad mistake from our keeper. However if the previous passage of play, McNamara was blatantly pulled back when in possession which he then lost as a result of the shirt pulling.
I wouldnt worry about this one. chalk it down, get on with it. In hindsight we were never going to win that game no mattered what happened. Dublin's brand of 'football' will ensure they will lose a couple of more games at least.
Well done to all Sligo Rovers supporters, who were noisy the whole way through the game. It was excellent stuff.
As I said if that's the best of the rest, we neednt worry too much. Focus now on Monday's game against dundalk. 3 points a must. Rossiter, McTiernan and Murtagh to start.
The Dubs won the game ...
I was at the game last night and all day today was sick because of the result.
Reading the various threads here hasn't helped matters much. Why do we have to blame the world and his mother because we had a bad night at the office? Let's face it we were sh1t in the first 45, super in the other 45 but they did enough in the first have to have deserved to get all three points. We were far too slow out of the blocks. There's loads of reasons why but realistically why's, maybe's, but's and if's wont win any games for us. Simply we were the instigators of our own downfall.
Thier first goal came from a corner. How many goals have we conceded this season from set-pieces? The answer in my opinion is too many. Again last night we failed to defend a set-piece. Their number four had a free header at goal. We had no one on the front post. Both our central defenders were no where to be seen. Sean Flannery was our nearest player to the goalscorer. Who do we blame ... the Referee?? Hilda?? Their number 4??
Once their second went in we started to drop like flies. First Burns, then Feeney ... the list went on. I don't see any point in having a pop at the Dubs. This team is managed by one Dermot Keely. I think that says enough. This guy is a true professional and no matter what we may think or say DK will do everything in his power to get his team back to where they think they belong and that's back with the big boys. We too have aspirations of this and we too think we belong with the big boys so I think it's about time we started to act like big boys. A defeat is a defeat, let's take it on the chin. Having a go at the Referee, Hilda, the Dubs or whoever won't change anything only help us to be branded sore loosers and whingers. Do we want to be known as sore loosers or whingers ... I don't think so. So let's get on with it.
Last night both sets of supporters were a credit to the league. Simply brilliant. The best athmosphere I have witnessed at a National League game for years and I have attended my share of games. I was over-whelmed with the reception the team received at the final whistle. A stranger walking into the ground at that time would be excused for thinking we had won the game. Our supporters are a credit to the club.
Yes today has been a bad day for us all but we are accustomed to bad days. This season has turned things around 360 degrees. We have a lot to be proud of, lets not spoil it by becoming sore loosers and whingers. Well done to the Dubs, the score line didn't exactly reflect the true performance of our side but we have to learn that we can't win them all. We start all over again on Monday with a home game against Dundalk ... the beauty of football.
