*Gordon Kelly under pressure. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill

Clare’s footballers have it “all to fight for”, Colm Collins insisted in the wake of their third defeat of the 2020 Allianz National Football League.

For Laois manager Michael Quirke, Sunday’s one point win over Clare has eased their relegation worries

“We have gone to five points on the table now and created a little bit of separation between ourselves and the teams at the bottom which is important. We have three games left and they are all going to be very very difficult”, the Kerry man said shortly after the final whistle at Cusack Park

Quirke said he knew “it was going to be a fight. We fought hard for the victory. That’s Clare’s third one point game in this campaign, having lost two and won one by that margin. I have played here a couple of times with Kerry and I know the type of battle they put forward. They get everything out of their fellas and they work as hard as they possibly can. We are just delighted to get out with a victory”..

Quirke, in his first year in charge of Laois was visibly frustrated with a number of refereeing decisions over the course of this tie. “I suppose there are very few games where we are not frustrated with decisions and it’s a very difficult job for the referee. There were probably a few calls that could have gone our way which didn’t. We hit the underside of the crossbar and got nothing from it. They got a penalty that I would like to see back again. There was never going to be anything more that a couple of points in this game”, he said.

“We will try and get as many points as we can and still stay in that division and get us as high as we can and that is the target for us”, Quirke concluded.

Meanwhile Clare manager Colm Collins felt “this is a game we left after us. We were very disappointed with the way we played in the first half. We spurned a lot of good chances, snatched at them, but to be fair to the lads, they put in a great shift in the second half and if we were a bit more economical in front of goal we would have won. Credit to Laois, they kept their cool and were deserving winners, I suppose”,

The Cratloe clubman lamented Clare’s poor start. “At this level of inter county football you have got to start when the ball is thrown in. We were pegging back a six point lead and you cant afford to be doing that. The victory was there but it just didn’t come”.

“We have got three games left and that’s six points. It’s all to fight for and we must get stuck in try and put something out of our visit to Cavan next week”, Collins concluded.

Related News

Litter_poster6
Record entries for anti-litter poster competition in Galway
bridgetown farm 1
'We've already missed a generation & if we miss another I don't know how food will be produced'
ballycar railway line train 28-04-20 2
Frustration building as Govt failed to put full steam behind rail works in Ballycar & Crusheen
Photograph by Eamon Ward
Lissycasey GAA grounds to be named in honour of late PJ Kelly

Advertisement

Latest News
louth v clare 15-06-25 peter keane 3
Keane undecided on whether he has 'appetite' to continue as Clare football manager
house key property
Clare's median property prices increase by €20k over 12 months
Litter_poster6
Record entries for anti-litter poster competition in Galway
teresa roseingrave 1
Clare LGFA in disarray as board meeting ends abruptly
clare v kilkenny 06-07-24 brian lohan 2
'We've had fantastic days under his leadership' - Lohan given additional three year term as Clare boss
Premium
clare v kilkenny 06-07-24 brian lohan 2
'We've had fantastic days under his leadership' - Lohan given additional three year term as Clare boss
bridgetown farm 1
'We've already missed a generation & if we miss another I don't know how food will be produced'
REPRO-FREE-Wolfe-Tones-na-Sionna-chairman-Mike-Riordan-with-players-Aaron-Cunningham-and-Aron-Shanagher-club-secretary-Amanda-Hogan-and-H-e1498060076514
Six volume book of evidence served on Limerick man for €1m burglary spree case
hen harrier 1
Hen harrier helps to ground plans for three turbine windfarm in West Clare
project west forestry 1
Over 1,100 acres of forestry in Clare & Galway on the market for more than €5m

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Advertisement