Quote
That game reminded me a bit of the Derry 1-1 game in Oriel early season, tentative looking but obviously a better team just not playing well, waiting for things to 'click'. That early season feeling of being a good side but just not putting it together for 90 minutes. Chances missed and then punished by a clanger, caused by a few players - miss-kick, players getting in each others way, some of the uncertainty evident v Longford that was hoped to be a one off. I think FH themselves gave us a plenty of respect with spoiling tactics and time wasting from early on, for a team said to be comfortable on the ball or "elegant". If we had been in top form I believe this tie would be just about done. Their defense looked like they had a clanger in them also, especially their No. 20. If they dont have that much more in them for their home leg, and we play anything near last years away leg performance we we should be going through. Their dilemma on whether to sit deep and hit on the break defending the away goal could actually suit us as especially if they are anyway as cagey we were. It's important but there was almost a total obsession on not conceding the away goal rather than just going out and treating the game as much like a domestic game as possible. The crowd was quite flat too with the edginess all over the ground. I may well rue saying this after the away leg but on what was on offer last night from FH, Cork are a better side too.
I realised last night why I prefer standing areas at games with the ability to move to another spot - I had the really irritating experience of being sat just in front of a individual who must have been randomly picking things to say out of the 'things to shout at football matches for dummies' reference book (and with that faux english like twang) " bury ih (sic)" about a 1000 times even when in our own half, "ah get up for it" when the ball was on the deck, "get rid of it" practically every single time a Dundalk player was on the ball, "ah let him know you're there over and over....then there was the shout for handball at a throw in...for Dundalk, no exaggeration!! He didnt seem to be that beered up or anything, just genuinely not a chap that must go to too many games or even watch a match on TV one thing for sure is that he was like a human tannoy and directly in to my earhole. One guy asked him to pipe down probably out of sympathy. As for people standing in seated areas, if you are at the rear of the seating area, or where everyone stands like in the shed ok, but when in the front few rows to keep standing and stay standing with repeated requests by people behind to sit down or move is just ignorant. I got my ticket quite late so was in among the few stragglers like myself and then a lot of people who wouldn't be in Oriel that often i'd say but I wont be slow aagain in getting my ticket. I bought a stand season ticket this year for the first time rather than the ground so maybe I'm just getting to that age.....
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
Bookmarks