Sarsfields Shane demands more consistency

SEASONED Drumragh campaigner Shane Cleary is warning his team-mates that a more consistent showing will be required over the full hour if they are to have any chance of toppling the Junior Championship favourites Cookstown in this Friday night’s semi-final.

Cleary did as much as anyone to help the Sarsfields scramble over the finish line ahead of a gutsy Glenelly team in the previous round, hitting four points as they snook home 0-11 to 0-10.

In a tense dogfight at Killyclogher the St Joseph’s missed a routine free deep into stoppage time which would have handed them the lead, but as it was the opportunity went abegging and in the very next attack Drumragh midfielder Malachy McManus scored a match winning point at the death to seal a semi-final spot for the Sarsfields.

While relieved to emerge with their Championship dreams still intact, Cleary also acknowledged that anyone watching from the Cookstown camp won’t have gone away trembing about what lay in store for them next time out.

“ They (Cookstown) have been the form team in Division There all year and seem to have carried that into the Championship. They had a good win in the last round against Eskra so will be comfident coming in against us.

“There was a lot of faults in our performance which we will have to work upon before the next day. Glenelly missed a few frees which they will be dispapointed about. Make no mistake there is no way Cookstown will let us off as lightly.”

That said Shane cautioned that Glenelly were always going to mount stern resistance resistance for the Sarsfields on the evidence of previous league encounters.

“ It was nip and tuck all the way and we knew after the league meeting there was never going to be much in it. Thankfully we managed to get over the line.

“ We knew it was going to be a battle anyway because we played them earlier in the league as well and it was a close game. I know we had a two point lead at half-time but they have come out strongly in both their previous Championship matches in the second half so that came as no surprise.”