*Davy Fitzgerald. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
DAVY FITZGERALD’s Waterford side came out on the wrong side of a one point game to Clare and the two-time All-Ireland winner is adamant his team could have taken a share of the spoils.
Speaking shortly after Sunday’s league game at Walsh Park, Davy Fitzgerald said “this was a game that could have gone either way, Waterford could have won it just as easily”.
The Sixmilebridge native went on to say “the fifteen minutes after half time, and it was the same against Offaly last week, probably cost us today as we were under a bit more pressure. Today could have gone either way”, he repeated.
Fitzgerald insisted he was not critical of the referee but pointed to one bone of contention. “We have no one to blame for this loss but ourselves. I am not going to blame the referee but I am disappointed about one thing. We asked him how much time was left when we got that last free and he said one minute but blew up 15 seconds after the puckout. I am disappointed with that but maybe Clare were owed that one from the Munster final”.
That was an obvious reference to Clare’s annoyance at not being awarded a free in the final minute of that game when Adam Hogan and then Tony Kelly appeared to have been fouled.
Davy who is in his second stint as Waterford boss expected them to be without a sizeable portion of first choice players for their next outing against Cork. “We are missing quite a lot at the moment but I am not sure who is going to play. I am looking for character. We have a different mindset this year. In two weeks time we have Cork. They are pointless and they will be coming all guns blazing and that will be a tough one. We will still be short eight or nine of the first team for that one”.
He is hopeful of having a stronger side when he faces another county he formerly managed. “We hope to have most back for the Wexford game. The league is the league and all I can do is take it for what it is. There are bigger days ahead, I am just disappointed we didn’t get the result today”.
