*Paul Madden stands before the Éire Óg players. Photograph: Mike Brennan
ÉIRE ÓG have scaled the summit of club football in Clare with Paul Madden once again orchestrating their charge to glory.
During his eight years at the helm with Éire Óg, Madden has steered them to become the standard setters in the county and they sealed their third Clare SFC title in four seasons on Sunday and remarkably remain unbeaten in normal time over the past four years in championship.
Speaking to The Clare Echo following their latest success, Paul reflected, “It was a battle, the conditions lent itself to that and it was always going to be who was going to make the fewer mistakes or who was going to outwork the other team which was our principle all year, Kilmurry got a great start, they are a good side and we knew they would get a patch, we just had to make sure there was no panic, I think the maturity of the group regardless of the age of the players meant we were not going to panic”.
It was an untypical start to proceedings from Éire Óg who failed to score for the first eleven minutes and saw wides from Mark McInerney and Darren O’Neill while the upright denied Darren O’Brien and a Colm Walsh O’Loghlen effort was blocked during a slightly nervy opening period.
Madden as ever was a calm figure on the line during this spell but he admitted there was a sense of annoyance with some of their early decision making as Kilmurry Ibrickane built up a 0-3 0-0 lead. “I was frustrated, there was a swirly breeze there that you didn’t really notice from the stand but when you are out there and kicking into the Town End goal was difficult but we shouldn’t have been taking on those shots, then they were dropping short and a couple narrowly wide, I wouldn’t say I was nervous, I was frustrated but I knew we would get chances and the goal was a real tonic for us”.
Once Gavin Cooney pounced for goal in what was their first score on eleven minutes, Éire Óg found their rhythm. “It was a bit like a settler to be honest, that could have been a point or two but it just happened to be a goal and it nullified their great start immediately, once we had that then from that moment on we were in command really”.
Clare panelist Éinne Ó’Connor was substituted at half time with a calf injury while Niall McMahon was called ashore on twenty three minutes after picking up a yellow card but the Townies were far from weakened with ex Clare defender Dean Ryan and current county player Gavin Murray added to the mix. “There was no fear from us about bringing lads in, we brought Gavin Murray in after twenty minutes, that was slightly tactical because Niall (McMahon) picked up a yellow and for the type of combative player he is and in the conditions we didn’t want to be numerically disadvantaged, he had to take one on the chin for the team and Gavin Murray is a county player so he is not weakening the team.
“Éinne was feeling his calf and he said he could only go at eighty percent, today is not a day to go at eighty percent so we brought Dean Ryan in, formerly a county player, still good enough to be one maybe, I’m delighted for him personally because he has been with Éire Óg a long time and this is his first one, when I asked him to come back two years ago he was playing with Na Fianna in Dublin, I’m really particularly delighted for him as I am with all the lads”.
Man of the match Colm Walsh O’Loghlen like Ryan was also collecting his first Clare SFC medal. “He was outstanding, he has been a delight since he has been a kid, he was in the same group as Gavin Cooney, Ikem Ugwueru and Ronan Lanigan growing up, a brilliant footballer with a lot of top level soccer played, it took me a while to convince him to commit to it but once he did last year he is as professional as you get and he got four scores today, all of them were perfectly waited, twisty turny and tapped over the bar, he is a good footballer,” Madden said.
Actions speak louder than words and that was the case for Éire Óg in bouncing back from their semi-final loss to Cratloe on penalties last year. “I didn’t have an issue with losing on penalties last year, I had an issue with letting it go to penalties, in fairness to Cratloe they are very organised and have some very good footballers, they deservedly won their title thereafter but we were a bit fatigued and it is very easy in November, December, January and February to be beating your chest and say you will come back but the proof is in the pudding and I think to be fair our lads really and truly knuckled down this year and the attitude was superb from start to finish”.
It makes the pudding taste even sweeter, “there will be plenty of helpings of pudding over the next two days,” he confirmed.
