Carrigaline manager Michael Meaney backs team to keep fighting

Carrigaline’s survival in Division 1 of the McCarthy Insurance Group Football League is not in their own control but manager Michael Meaney is backing his players to show their character.

Last year’s champions trail Éire Óg by two points ahead of their last match, at home to Douglas. 

Carrigaline need a win and for the Ovens side to lose to Cill na Martra, which would keep them up thanks to a superior head-to-head record. However, an extra element is that in such a scenario they would also have to hope St Michael’s do not beat Nemo Rangers as they would then likely be down on scoring difference.

Last Sunday, a nine-point first-half deficit against Clonakilty was cut to one before the home side responded to win by five but Meaney was heartened by the display in the second period.

“You can come here today and make excuses about what fellas we have and what fellas we don't have,” he says, “but we're not about that.

“We know that, every time they go out and put on the Carrigaline jersey, at the end of the day they’re there to play for their place or else they're pushing the fellas and that's the that we've been building up.

“Yeah, Clon got off to a great start but lesser teams might have said, ‘Right, that’s it.’

“We just dug deep and we just drove on and just got a few scores that kept us in it and that was the main thing.

“Our identity is our workrate and how we apply ourselves and stuff like that in games.

“It has borne itself out over the last two and a half years since [coach] Kevin O'Sullivan came in and we proved it again in the second half against Clon.

“I think we just kept going and that's what we all can do and that's what we all ask the players every day at training and every day we go out and play a game – just keep going and have the hunger and keep going all the time.”

Last year’s senior A champions will renew acquaintance with Clon in the championship along with Carbery Rangers and St Finbarr’s.

If they are to emerge from that group, they will need their and, while it has been frustrating to be without key players during the league, it has allowed others to enjoy game-time.

“It shows when you have a strong and you can bring in fellas there today that mightn’t have got a go and they put their hands up again,” Meaney says.

“Training now is going to get interesting coming into the next couple of weeks for championship for us this didn't happen overnight.

“This has been happening since Kevin came in, this is his third year with us, and we’ve built an identity and that's the bottom line.”

The hope is that Sunday can give them a bounce as they get ready for the last chance at survival.

“You couldn’t but be happy with the second-half performance,” Meaney says.

“It’ll be a boost for the fellas that started and it gives us great scope going forward.

“We’ve Douglas left so let’s see what happens on the last day. Miracles do happen and you never know how it might go.”