In normal circumstances James Horan would have been more than delighted with the performance put in by his team in a must win game yesterday, but with a cloud still hanging over any more action taking place this year and what the country is still facing into he was also thinking of the bigger picture.
Standing on the field not long after his youthful side had put Galway to the sword in their best display by far this year - he was pleased with what he had seen play out before him.
“Great energy and enthusiasm by the team. I said before the game they were looking forward to playing and they played that way so, very happy with that aspect of it.”
“Our teamwork was very good today, trying to give the right ball at the right time - good support lines, we dropped it a bit at the start of the second half, we held on to the ball a bit too long.
“But when we moved the ball and our energy was high I thought we very good.
As I said in our young players I do think there is a lot of quality there and they are very good ball winners and are adding to things.”
Westport’s Mark Moran picked up the man-of-the-match award for a very impressive debut and while Horan thought he did really well he was keen to praise all the younger players on his side.
“We had five u21s on there and we brought on two more, so a lot of the young players who have come through are very talented.
“We have Tommy Conroy and Oisin Mullin as well who made debuts early on, but Mark as he has been for Westport all season is very comfortable on the ball and is a both sided player so he did really well today.”
That win sets up a do or die clash on the football field with Tyrone next Sunday with survival in division one up for gabs. But for the season actually being completed Horan isn’t sure, but they will do what they are told by the authorities.
“I don’t know, I was confident up to a few days ago. I don’t know, I there there is a meeting tomorrow (Monday ). The players are providing a lot of entertainment out there, but we need to think of the players as well. Their families and loved ones as well, what ever the advice is we will go with it.
“It’s so hard to know, I don’t know do the GAA teams live in bubbles. They are all going home to their family and going to work tomorrow so it is a bit different to professional so there is that to be factored in.
“There is a lot of controls in place you can see it here today and doing everything humanly possible so if that is enough, I genuinely don’t know.”
If the season was stopped again Horan said that his thoughts would be to just put an end to it and start again next year when possible.
“I think so - that would be my gut if it doesn’t go ahead - I don’t know what does that do to next years championship and everything that goes with that.
As for the issue of planning and preparing for games, it has not been easy he said: “It is so hard to know and we have trained since we’ve been back after the clubs.
“We have been taking it one session at a time, I know it’s a classic but this season especially you are thankful for the session you have and try to nail it and if there is a game at the weekend, great and if there is not we’ll move on.
On the injury front Horan said that Kevin McLoughlin was close to making it for yesterdays game but they didn’t want to risk him and with Brendan Harrison he said the medical team are still working with him and it was a matter of “waiting to see, it’s one we can’t rush”.
As for Jason Doherty whose picked up a serious injury in training and has been ruled out of the rest of the season Horan said they were all thinking of him.
“Jason had bad luck at a training session and he was playing really well. So we’re constantly thinking of Jason he is absolute pro, he is helping us out even through his injury and the guys are in constant touch - but he had some bad luck.”
