Lidl Ladies National Football League Division Three (Round 2):
Roscommon v Down on Sunday in Kiltoom at 2 pm
Roscommon Ladies can secure a league semi-final place if they see off Down this Sunday. Another home tie is a bonus and they will be anxious to bag another two points ahead of their final game away to Sligo in two weeks’ time.
Roscommon manager, Diane O’Hora, is looking for improvement after watching her side dig deep to overcome Fermanagh in round one.
“We were very happy to win last Sunday and the biggest positives out of the victory were the attitude and character shown by our players when we needed it. Fermanagh came back well and we showed great resilience to see out the win but we have a lot of improvements to make,” she told People Sport this week.
“There are no favourites on the panel. Everyone is in competition for a starting place; there is great competition and that’s the way we want it. There will be changes for Sunday, it’s all about everyone getting a fair chance”.
Diane says Roscommon will have to be more clinical in attack: “Last Sunday our full-forward line only scored two points from play and that’s a worry. They won plenty of ball but we need a better return on the scoreboard. It is frustrating that we concentrated a lot in training on our long-range shooting but when it came to the match we were blocked down so many times.
“What I really liked last Sunday was that the girls were not happy with how they played despite the win and that’s very positive. They want to improve,” she said.
The former Down manager expects a strong challenge from the visitors this Sunday.
“There are four or five players still playing from the time I was there and they are very good footballers. Jess Foy will play with Northern Ireland in the forthcoming European Championships in soccer and is a class act. Natasha Ferris and Eimear Smyth are also top of the range players so we will have to be ready for another stern challenge. But at home we will be hoping to play with the required intensity needed to win. I saw the Down and Sligo match (Sligo won by two points) and I was impressed by Sligo but Down will be anxious to play much better this Sunday and we will have to be prepared for that,” she concluded.
This is a ‘must win’ game for Down following their defeat last weekend but with home advantage and the new management instilling the competitive spirit that was evident at Dr. Hyde Park last Sunday, it should be victory number two for Roscommon this weekend.
Prediction: Roscommon
