Credit where it’s due for footballers hitting their promotion target
By Shane Brophy
It might not have been the route Tipperary would have planned on achieving promotion, but the important thing is they will be playing division 3 football and that is all that matters.
This performance against London won’t rank among Tipp’s best of the five-game winning run which sees them return to the third tier at the first time of asking but it was sufficient to get the job done which was the important thing.
There was pressure on Tipperary on Saturday night. Having your fate in your own hands is a good thing, as long as you get what you need, and the result is what was important. There were nervy moments in the second half as the finishing line and promotion came into view, but London weren’t good enough to take advantage of Tipp’s sloppiness, even though they had the chances to make it a more uncomfortable evening.
London had nothing to play for as their promotion hopes evaporated after their bright start to the campaign where they began with three wins but followed up with three successive losses. However, they had a well-drilled team and indeed very motivated for this game as it would have been the first time many of them would have played in one of the GAA’s marque venues in Semple Stadium, and as such they had a decent support as family members and friends in Ireland made it their business to be in Thurles on a glorious evening for a game.
London showed they had enough about them when they got going but crucially, Tipperary got the quick start they needed, as they did in the home matches against Sligo and Cavan in recent weeks. Racing into a 1-6 to 0-1 lead after 24 minutes, Tipperary were able to control the game and play it on their terms. However, from then on, London were as good if not better than Tipp and if Stephen Dornan had not blasted over and Michael O’Reilly have not saved from Liam Gavaghan in the space of eight second half minutes, the home side could really have been made to sweat in the closing stages.
However, the closest London got to Tipp was four points, despite the home side only managing one point from play in the second half, that from sub Stephen Quirke in added time.
It is hard to blame the players for going into their shell a little in the second half as while they were expected to get the win to secure promotion, that brings with it an extra pressure and it can make you so silly things, with Tipp’s main problem in the second half being coughing up too much ball.
However, when Tipp moved well, they were very good. The first twenty minutes was up there with their best periods of the league with composed and well-directed football. London had a decent amount of the ball in the early going but once again the defence was superbly well drilled with few close ranges avenues of attack opening up for the visitors.
Going the other way, Tipp injected serious pace in their attacks, and when they had to punch through the London rear-guard, they had the power to do so, epitomised by Mark Russell who opened the scoring.
The son of former inter-county referee Paddy Russell has been a revelation in this year’s league, particularly his scoring ability from midfield, adding a 21st minute goal to open the game up for Tipp. The remarkable thing about Russell is he can get even better. Physically he has all the tools to be a serious inter-county midfielder in terms of winning ball, carrying ball and scoring. He can be careless in possession at times but the reason there is more to come from him are his fitness levels as he tends to tire around fifty minutes. If he can get himself up to an elite level of fitness for that role, one can on get excited about how good he can become.
Russell’s development in midfield couldn’t have been timelier considering Steven O’Brien has missed the entire campaign through injury while Paudie Feehan’s season is over with the shoulder injury sustained against Sligo. It has left Tipp short on midfield options with Russell and Conal Kennedy having to carry the load for much of the campaign where they have done very well, while Stephen Quirke has proved an impactful replacement off the bench.
The turnaround in Tipperary’s season since the loss to Leitrim has been remarkable as the pace of the football from the opening two games to the last five is stark. There is much more pace to everything they do from carrying the ball out of defence to punching holes in the opposition defence and once again Tipperary kicked some superb points throughout with Mikey O’Shea again impressing close to goal as both he and Sean O’Connor are a terrific young foil to captain Conor Sweeney.
The extra pace to Tipperary’s attacks plays to the strengths of their best players, including Kevin Fahey and Jack Kennedy. Fahey was outstanding on Saturday, particularly in the first half before he suffered a head knock which saw him off for a period. Prior to that he had kicked two points from play, assisted for another 1-1 and also blocked a London goal chance on the line. It was the Commercials clubman at his all action best and his new role at wing back allows him to get up and down the pitch, with Colm O’Shaughnessy anchoring the team well from centre back.
After an injury ravaged eighteen months, Jack Kennedy is working his way back to his best and his ball-carrying and vision to play the right pass was on show again and he played a part on many of Tipperary’s scores.
A performance sufficient for the day. The task was to get promotion by whatever means necessary and that has been achieved. A pat on the back is deserved but this is only the start as Tipp now find themselves back at a level they feel should be the minimum of their ability. There is no reason why they can’t make further league progress next year.