All-Ireland quarter final
Cork 1-16 Roscommon 0-10
Roscommon’s footballing journey may be over for this year but what a remarkable year 2010 has been. The makers of A Year Till Sunday and Marooned which documented the journeys of Galway in 2001 and Westmeath in 2004 respectively would surely have had a best seller on their hands had they followed the exploits of Fergal O’Donnell’s men this season.
From the disappointment of a succession of poor league results which saw them being relegated to division four, to being crowned Connacht champions, to last Sunday’s brave display in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Roscommon football has certainly come a long way in the past six months.
Add in a first provincial success at u21 level in 11 years and it’s no wonder the famed primrose and blue jersey is once again being worn with pride throughout the county and indeed far beyond as the summer draws to a close.
It is not often that a team which has lost a game by nine points receives a standing ovation from their supporters but that is exactly what happened in Croke Park last Sunday. The huge Roscommon support which brought Croke Park to life rightly acknowledged the brave efforts of this young and relatively inexperienced side. On this evidence there is plenty of cause for optimism for the years ahead.
The nine point difference at the final whistle was rough justice on Fergal O’Donnell’s men. Having trailed by a point at the break they managed to forge a one point lead early in the second half. At that stage it must have crossed the mind of everyone watching that the upset of all upsets could be about to unfold. With Tyrone and Kerry gone were Cork about to follow suit?
Unfortunately it was Cork’s greater strength in depth which turned the game firmly in the Rebels’ favour in the final quarter. The introduction of players of the calibre of Donnacha O’Connor, John Miskella, and Nicholas Murphy at halftime and Alan O’Connor and Eoin Cotter later on meant the Reds had fresher legs as the game entered the closing stages. Try as they might O’Donnell’s men could not keep up with the pace as they slowly ran out of steam.
Cork are into the last four in the search for Sam and while they have plenty of room for improvement it will take a good team to beat them. For Roscommon it is time to reflect back on a successful year and to concentrate on the club championship. It won’t be long before thoughts turn to next year where promotion from division four must surely be a priority.
