“To tell you the truth, I feel like we are walking on ice". Laois U20 boss unsure of next move

Laois U20 hurling boss Enda Lyons was a relieved man to get away from O’Moore Park with the win on Wednesday night as they ground out a 1-15 to 0-15 win over Carlow to move on to the next round of the Leinster U20 hurling championship. Click here for match report.

When that next round game against Galway will be played is the million dollar question but for now, the Galway native is happy to have progressed but unsure as to what the future holds.

“It is a privilege to put on a Laois jersey and we are delighted but we are also aware that we might not see hurling again for a while and if that’s the case, so be it.

“To tell you the truth, I feel like we are walking on ice and it is a very nervy situation. I am not really happy with it myself but I am delighted to be hurling”.

You are preparing a team, you want to hurl but I just don’t know.”

“Johnny Maher rang me earlier in the day and his name came up on the phone and I said I bet you he is in trouble.

“He lives with his grandmother. Track and trace meant that he had to phone me to tell me that he couldn’t come. I was so sorry for those boys that have to make those decisions.

“I was looking at my phone all day wondering was that going to happen again. I was asked for our team by the press and I told them that I would pick the team this evening when I see the lads coming in here and we do a roll call.”

As for the match himself, the former Laois minor hurling manager admitted it was far from flawless but was buoyed by the fact that when the pressure came on, his charges answered.

“It was very tough in fairness, they are a big physical side and they out hurled us for long periods but when the game was in the melting pot, questions were asked of us and they answered them.

“It took everything that we had to win that game.”

The turning point came 12 minutes from time when Mark Hennessy found the net. The Clough/Ballacolla man was lively throughout and found the net once the chance arose.

“I was actually telling him to stop panicking and going for goals – he left two behind him earlier”, explained Lyons

“He is an absolute talent. I would pay to watch Mark Hennessy anywhere. What he can do sometimes is over do it and want to score a brilliant goal every time but the reality is when the chance came, it fell to the right man and it was a brilliant goal by a brilliant player.”

When it was put to the banisteoir that they might not have won the game only for that goal, he replied,

“I don’t know if we would have. We got the goal and they didn’t. In fairness to our goalkeeper Cathal Dunne, he is growing into a fine keeper. He did what was required. A goal was probably going to win it and thankfully we got it.”

The full five subs were used and that is something that Lyons had envisaged would happen given the demands of Winter hurling and the age profile of the team.

“If I was allowed to use four more subs, I would have used them. At this time of year, you don’t know how fit you are, they are very young. They are good hurlers and have good hurling brains but we are probably a bit small.”