Power making no excuses for poor form
By Michael Dundon
Without a win after three games, and with relegation now a big concern, Tipperary manager David Power was offering no excuses following his side’s dismal showing at Semple Stadium on Saturday night where they slumped to an eight-point defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Antrim.
Tipp are languishing at the bottom of division 3 of the National Football League and Saturday’s defeat does not help their scoring difference should that come into the equation when the seven-game programme is concluded.
It was Tipperary’s poorest showing so far but the Kilsheelan-Kilcash man put on a brave face.
“We started okay, but then we gifted them a goal. We have been conceding early scores in all our games, leaving us playing catch-up afterwards. It’s just killing us”, he said.
The manager acknowledged that the clash with Antrim was a very big game in the context of the relegation battle and that it was a big setback for Tipp to lose but he declared – we will just have to get on with it.
“It seems that every time we make a mistake we are getting punished and we are making too many unforced errors,” he added. Tipperary were without key players Steven O’Brien and Conor Sweeney, both long-term injuries, while Sean O’Connor was a late withdrawal after Fitzgibbon Cup action midweek. These were three losses a struggling Tipp team could not afford but David Power was not offering absenteeism as an excuse for Tipp’s poor start to the campaign.
“Look we have what we have, and we have to get on with it,” Power said.
“There is no point in talking about who is not here. The encouraging thing tonight was that the lads kept going, trying to do the right thing, when the game was not going our way. We played some good football at times but these bad starts and unforced errors are making life very difficult for us.”
Tipperary have another big relegation game this Sunday when they visit fellow strugglers Longford, managed by former premier coach Paddy Christie.
“The reality is that we are now talking about relegation and how we can avoid it,” Power admitted.
“We have a tough week ahead of us to get ready for Longford who are struggling like ourselves. It is going to be another big game for both teams, but we will give it everything.”
The Tipperary manager expects to have Sean O’Connor available and is hoping that no injuries were picked up last week to further diminish his depleted squad as he faces into another crucial week for Tipperary football.