*Flan Enright. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
Overcoming Éire Óg has brought Clondegad’s bid to make the Clare SFC quarter-finals back to life and has reignited delight within the club, manager Flan Enright outlined.
Clondegad regrouped following a flat opening round defeat to Doonbeg to cause a surprise by denting Éire Óg’s chances of progressing to the last eight.
Anything can happen in the final round of Group 3 with all teams equal on points but to be in the race has brought a buzz to the Estuary club, the long-standing member felt. “I’m delighted for the club, I’m delighted for the bunch of the lads, we knew there was a performance in them but for some reason we weren’t getting sixty minutes together. I’m delighted for the club because they have a lot put into this over the last few years, I’m delighted we’re in a position to drive on but we will take it game by game, this is one game and one win”.
Their three week window between the first and second round was well spent, he believed. “A lot of them lads are dual players and you don’t have access to them every night, they don’t pick one above the other or pick excuses, they come and put on the jersey and put their shoulder to the wheel whether it is football or hurling”.
Enright was adamant that Clondegad must produce back to back performances when it comes to their meeting with rivals Lissycasey. “If you lose by a point you’re counting every mistake, I said to the lads there today on a day you lose it doesn’t mean you’ve done everything wrong and a day you win it doesn’t mean you’ve done everything right but this is a starting block for us, we’ve been in the doldrums in the championship for the last couple of years, we haven’t won a game, now we have a game won but it means fuck all if we don’t drive on from here”.
Special praise was reserved for ex Clare captain Gary Brennan who stepped up to score the winning point for the 2017 county finalists. “Gary will always give you everything, he was limping for the last twenty minutes, he didn’t look to the line once for us, he just drove on and he turned over ball at the end that he had no right to turn over, it is just the heart of the man. He was spot on with the frees today”.
One of the key members of their forward line, Podge McMahon missed Saturday’s game due to a hamstring injury. His fitness will be monitored closely over the next fortnight, “we’re doing our best to have everyone available,” Flan added.
