Clare lacked leaders when it came to the crunch

IF Clare are to have any chance of establishing themselves as promotion contenders, they will have to work on expanding on the leadership capacity of their panel.

After working exceptionally hard in the opening half and following two converted David Tubridy frees early in the second, they led 0-7 to 0-3 just seven minutes after the interval. 
Brewster Park was all but silent. Clare had outworked and outfought Fermanagh. Peter Canavan’s first league game wasn’t unfolding as the Enniskillen crowd had imagined it was destined to.
A win was not quite there for the taking but picking up away points was eminently achievable as long as Clare retained their composure. The following statistic indicates this didn’t happen and in fact Clare folded once Fermanagh upped their game; Clare were outscored 0-8 to 0-1 in the closing 28 minutes as Fermanagh dominated midfield and were handed a succession of kickable frees by Clare.
Micheál McDermott’s team badly needed somebody to offer leadership and inspiration either by winning a ball around midfield, making a run or perhaps winning a scoreable free. Nobody stood up and took on the mantle of leadership. In fact, it became evident as Fermanagh reeled in Clare that the visiting heads were beginning to hang.
Clare could have won this game. They didn’t lose because they are not as fit as Fermanagh or because they were unable to match their football ability. They lost because of a dearth of leadership and belief. This is something management will have to work on sorting out before they play Limerick in Ennis on March 3. Clare are good enough; they just don’t believe it themselves.
It didn’t look that away in the opening half as Clare worked their way towards a 0-5 to 0-2 half-time lead. Gary Brennan set the tone in the opening seconds when, after winning the throw-n, he cut through the Fermanagh defence before fisting a point attempt wide. Knowing he should have at least pointed, Brennan responded immediately. He won the resultant kick-out and set up Shane McGrath, who landed a point from 40 yards.
Alan Clohessy added an equally impressive point after slick build-up play involving Laurence Healy, Shane Brennan, McGrath and Rory Donnelly. Clare were going well but Ger Quinlan’s early departure hurt them as the game developed. David Russell replaced the injured O’Curry’s man but Russell was himself take off 10 minutes from full-time. Perhaps he should have been kept on the bench until 20 minutes from time when Clare could have done with an impact substitute. 
David Tubridy, from a free and play, along with a cleverly worked David Russell point, completed Clare’s first-half tally. Fermanagh didn’t score until the 13th minute when wing-back Barry Mulrone pointed, while full-forward Seamus Quigley scored from a free, given away by Barry Hartnett, four minutes into injury time.
Joe Hayes made two good saves in the first half from Seamus Quigley and Brian Óg Maguire but while Fermanagh had more possession, Clare defended in numbers and looked sharp in attack.
Having stretched their lead to four points, 0-7 to 0-3, early in the second half, the remainder of the afternoon boded well for Clare.
It didn’t pan out that way though. Fermanagh made three changes at half-time and Shane McCabe helped to turn the game for the Erne County. He ran at Clare and probed repeatedly with nicely delivered passes. Cornering most of the midfield possession, Fermanagh launched attack after attack as Clare wilted and began to concede frees. Free taker Seamus Quigley and corner-forward Paul Ward did most of their scoring, with Shane Lyons tagging on Fermanagh’s 11th point.
The majority of their scores came from either frees or turnovers. Clare regularly had possession but lost it in contact or because the player on the ball didn’t have sufficient support on his shoulder.
Rory Donnelly, Gary Brennan, John Hayes and Niall Browne all either gave away frees or lost possession that led to second-half scores.
David Tubridy kicked Clare’s last point, three minutes from time. That pointed free, won by Shane McGrath, bridged 25 scoreless minutes. Tubridy had half a goal chance in injury time but his left foot shot was saved by Chris Snow.
This is a game Clare set themselves up to win but couldn’t close it out. They will have to concentrate on solidifying their mental resolve as much as any tactical approach before playing Limerick. Clare seem able to establish a lead or chase a game but they have to work out how they will hold onto that lead and close out the result.

Fermanagh: Chris Snow; Niall Bogue, Barry Owens, John Woods; Conor Quigley, Ryan McCluskey (captain), Barry Mulrone; Eoin Donnelly, James Sherry; Shane Lyons, Brian Óg Maguire, Mark Little; Paul Ward, Seamus Quigley, Seán Quigley.
Subs: Shane McCabe for Mark Little, Kane Connor for Brian Óg Maguire, Daniel Kille for Seán Quigley (all half-time), Eamon Maguire for Kane Connor (59).
Scorers: Seamus Quigley 0-6, (0-4f, 0-1 ’45), Paul Ward (0-3), Barry Mulrone, Shane Lyons (0-1 each).
Wides: 7; frees won: 19; 45s: 2.
Yellow cards: Seamus Quigley, Brian Óg Maguire, James Sherry, Conor Quigley.

Clare: Joe Hayes (Lissycasey); Barry Hartnett (Meelick), Shane McNeilis (Kildysart), Laurence Healy (Ennistymon); Martin McMahon (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Gordon Kelly (St Joseph’s, Miltown), John Hayes (Kilrush); Gary Brennan (Clondegad), Ger Quinlan (O’Curry’s); Niall Browne (Two Mile House, Kildare), Shane McGrath (Thomas Davis, Dublin), Shane Brennan (Clondegad); Rory Donnelly (Cooraclare), David Tubridy (Doonbeg), Alan Clohessy (Liscannor – captain).
Subs: David Russell (Kilkee) for Ger Quinlan (6 mins, injured), Joe Dowling (Ennistymon) for Niall Browne (60 minutes), Timmy Ryan (Kilmihil) for David Russell (61).
Scorers: David Tubridy 0-5, 0-4f); Shane McGrath, Alan Clohessy, David Russell (0-1 each)
Wides: 7; frees won: 27; 45s: 0.
Yellow cards: 0.
Referee: Jerome Henry (Mayo).

McDermott rues below-par display
CLARE manager Micheál McDermott spoke to his players in a tight circle after the 70 minutes of football had concluded in Brewster Park. What he had to say must have been mixed. Clare competed well for a time but when the game was in its decisive minutes, during the second half, Fermanagh looked sharper and more keen.
“Fermanagh were a well-drilled team. We just couldn’t break them down and take our chances. Maybe we made a couple of mistakes that we weren’t making the last day but to the credit of Fermanagh, they put us under ferocious pressure when we had the ball,” McDermott commented afterwards.
“Our performance wasn’t up to the level of last week against Waterford. Credit to Fermanagh. They probably made sure it wasn’t up to that level of performance. We had chances when we were ahead. We lost a grip on the game for a period in the second half and we just couldn’t get it back. Yet credit to all the players. Despite being down by three points, they didn’t lie down and in the last five minutes, they were trying to get that goal to even get a point out of it,” he added.
He acknowledged that Fermanagh’s trio of half-time changes definitely helped them.
“Fermanagh upped the gears in the second half and I think it was evident in the first half that they hadn’t a match last weekend. They put on three subs at half-time and they started getting a grip around key areas of the field that we just couldn’t combat,” McDermott said.
Clare coach Liam McHale ruefully recalled a couple of possible goal chances that Clare didn’t avail of.
“I was disappointed we had two goal chances in the first few minutes and we didn’t convert. When you’re away from home in a tough environment like this, those things are going to count,” he stated.
“We’ve worked very hard in the last two and a half years but there were too many unforced errors, too many mistakes. I’d say if you analysed the tape, most of the scores that they got in the second half came from handling errors or kicking errors from us,” McHale reflected, noting that Fermanagh also employed a tactic that Clare didn’t take advantage of.
“They dropped their number six in front of the full-back line. He didn’t follow Shane McGrath but we couldn’t find Shane to punish that ploy that Peter Canavan had employed. We struggled to get the ball from our 50 yard line up to their 50 yard line quickly. When they’re playing a blanket defence if you can’t do that, you’re going to be in trouble,” he maintained.
The only consolation for the Mayo man was that his journey home wasn’t as far as the Clare panel had to trek.