‘You couldn’t fault them’ - Roscommon boss on famous win over Galway

Roscommon football manager Mark Dowd was understandably proud of his players in the aftermath of their dramatic comeback victory over Galway at Pearse Stadium last Saturday night.

A stirring second-half comeback - which saw Roscommon turn a 13-point deficit into a one-point victory (2-16 to 0-21) - gave Dowd much cause for satisfaction as his team claimed their third successive league win.

Roscommon opted to play against the elements in the first half and despite trailing by eleven points at the interval, Dowd never lost faith in his players.

"I suppose for ourselves, we were probably conscious of Galway being strong in the second half, especially the fourth quarter. We were trying to take any advantage we could off them as well. Today it worked out for us. If we had lost, people may have said to us maybe that was the reason, but look how it worked out for us.

"Galway were always going to put a couple over the bar when playing against the wind in the second half. It was trying to limit the amount they did and then when we got our chances, it was a case of trying to make the most of them," Dowd said.

Dowd referenced Enda Smith's goal as the "spark" which ignited the Roscommon comeback in that second half.

"It was probably at the stage that we just needed something to get us going and it did and that was great. We were able to kick on from there. That was very pleasing to see," the manager remarked.

Roscommon are now looking strong in Division 1 with six points from their four games played and Dowd commended his players for their work to date.

"We're not looking at how many we've won or how many we've lost. It's a case of this is our job today, we go about it, we try and give them the tools to do it, and they go and carry it out. In fairness to them, you couldn't fault them today," he stated.

The Roscommon manager has welcomed the St Brigid's players back to training following their post All-Ireland club football final hiatus and is hoping to see "a few of them back on the pitch" in the next couple of weeks.

"You just have to be conscious that you can't expect guys that are after coming off a tough campaign like they've been in and to drop straight back into inter-county football. It wouldn't be fair on them. They'd end up picking up maybe a couple of injuries down along the way. So, we just had to be cautious, get them back in, get them up to speed and once they were happy and we were happy, they'll see it," Dowd added.