‘We’ve got to build a team to compete at senior level’
Moate All Whites manager John Murray was delighted with the way his players “dug deep” in their Westmeath U-20 Division 1 championship final win over St Loman’s, Mullingar.
The All Whites recovered from a shaky first half – during which they only scored two points – to eventually claim a satisfying 3-8 to 1-9 victory in a tough battle which went to extra-time - see more here
“We probably got a rattle early on and it didn’t go according to plan. We didn’t play the way we were supposed to play in the first half,” said Murray, after the final played under lights in Kinnegad.
“We made a few changes and once we got a grip in the middle third, we took off and we weren’t giving away the ball. In the first half, we had eleven turnovers and a lot of them were unforced and that caught us.
“In the second half, we really dug deep and pushed ourselves to the limit. The lads were great and they have been great all year.
“Once we got to grips around the middle of the field, I felt that game changed. We picked off point by point and maybe we gave away a handy one to let them draw level (at the end of normal time).
“Once we got the second goal (Tobby Conteh’s second goal), I always felt we were going to win the game,” continued the former Moate and Westmeath star.
Hagan Niall’s goal towards the end of extra-time sealed victory for Moate who were boosted by influential displays from players like Aodhan Curran, Daragh Lowry, Tadhg Heavin and Eoin Bracken.
The victory is a considerable boost for Moate, but Murray warned that the club faces a major challenge to become a force at senior level.
“It’s a big result for Moate and we’re delighted with it. I’ve been with these lads since they were under-14.
“What it means for Moate is that we’ve got to build a team to compete at senior level and that’s not simple. We have to find some level of togetherness in the club and if we can do that and stick together, who knows where it will bring us in the years ahead,” said Murray, who was joined in the management team by Niall Mackey, Donal Bracken, Vinny Henry and Michael Curran.
Naturally John said he was “very proud” to have his son Ronan on the victorious Moate team. “These are just steps to something else. We have to knuckle down and do a bit of work to see if we can move Moate forward at senior level,” John added.