'All is to play for, we're in the hunt'- Laois manager Justin McNulty

Laois Senior Football manager Justin McNulty was full of pride on Saturday evening as his team showed resilience to edge past a 14-man Antrim side by two points in Portlaoise.

Reflecting on a challenging week following their heavy defeat to Kildare, McNulty acknowledged the difficulties the squad had faced but was thrilled with how they responded.

“We're immensely impressed by the character the guys demonstrated. They took a major blow last week, a performance that nobody could be proud of and all of us were hurting. The players were hurting the most because they know they're better than what they exhibited last week, and they got back on the horse and that's what this week was about. It was a very uncomfortable week, a very uneasy week and we were very, very unhappy but for that to be the case and for the players to then go and dig out a result like they did, it was faltering. It was messy on occasions, but they still dug it out. We're back on the horse and nothing's off the table, well done to the players,” he said.

Laois started strongly with two early points, but a mistake proved costly when Antrim took advantage to score into an empty net. With goalkeeper Killian Roche pushed forward in attack, a foul on the ball by Seamus Lacey led to a swift counter, leaving Laois stunned as the green flag was raised. McNulty believes his team showed great character in how they recovered from that setback.

“I think we played them into the game, I think they scored most of their scores off our turnovers and our short shots, our kick-outs, so the players deserve immense credit for that game because they corrected that on the pitch and turned it around and stayed in the game even though things were not going particularly well for us across the park. They stayed in the game and they fixed things, they corrected things, they deserve huge credit for that because it demonstrates their character, it demonstrates their ability to remain composed when things were going against them, when things were going very awry and they still held together.

“What we asked for this week was a blood and guts performance and I feel strongly it was a blood and guts performance. We had fellas who had to be taken off because they’d nothing left in the tank, fellas were almost crawling into the dressing room because they gave it their all on the pitch. When you work your balls off like our boys did across the match, the harder you work the luckier you get and I think we got an element of luck today, but I think overall our team deserved a win tonight,” McNulty added.

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Laois have been enduring a gruelling schedule, with Saturday’s match marking their fifth in as many weekends. However, McNulty pointed out that their commitment stretches back much further.

“They're going since November, it's not five weeks on the trot, it's 14, 15 weeks on the trot and it's been a huge effort by the lads and it's a huge commitment and they should be proud of their effort. They should be proud of their performance because they dug deep, and they really did deliver a blood and guts performance this evening,” he commented.

Saturday’s game also saw Portlaoise youngster Josh Hogan make his first-ever start for Laois, a remarkable journey considering he was playing for The Town’s second team just two years ago.

“Josh, to his credit, brings huge joy and enthusiasm and energy into our environment which rubs off on all of us. It's wonderful to see and the sky’s the limit in terms of his capacity to grow and learn and develop and become an even stronger footballer and better footballer in every facet of his game but he does offer us another dimension, no doubt about it. We've other fellas there who are coming into the squad for the first time, having been second-tier players for their clubs potentially but are just showing that they've got the character to want to play and to wear the Laois jersey and wear it with distinction and when you have that, anything's possible,” McNulty said.

Antrim manager Andy McEntee was visibly frustrated with how the new rules were being officiated, claiming that changes had been made without proper communication. McNulty, however, made it clear that his focus remains on his own team’s performances.

“I let the officials do their job, my job was focusing entirely on our performance and the performance we had tonight was what we asked for, a blood and guts performance and the lads should be proud of that,” he said.

Despite leading by six points and having a numerical advantage late on, Laois had to survive a scare as Antrim found two late two-pointers, keeping the game alive until the final whistle.

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“We should have been cruising and controlling the game out there this evening, they got one or two, two-pointers and then it's all the play for and it was squeaky bum time at the end of the match so certainly the rules have livened the game up a bit. However the same principles apply, you have to work your completions, work your scores and if you don't do that you can be punished, and we were punished this evening but thankfully we got over the line through the pure endeavour of our team which they deserve enormous credit for and should be very proud of,” McNulty added.

Looking ahead to their next fixture against Clare on March 15, McNulty provided an update on the injury front, with positive news regarding key players.

“James has a quad issue; he's making good progress and should be available for selection for the next game. Benny Carroll, hopefully likewise,” he said.

With six points from five games, Laois now have a two-week break before facing Clare and Fermanagh in their final two league outings. McNulty believes his side is still very much in the hunt for promotion.

“This was a high-pressure game for us and it was nervy from many perspectives in terms of performance but they still dug it out and that's huge credit to them. I think now all pressure's off, all is to play for, we're in the hunt and that's exciting. The fellas can take huge confidence from digging the game out the way in the way they did and it’s all to play for,” McNulty ended.