Padraig Doherty: ‘Some days your luck is with you and other days it’s not’

Carndonagh player-manager Padraig Doherty was so disappointed with the defeat to Letterkenny Gaels that he struggled to find the words to express how disappointed he felt after the full-time whistle

Doherty had just seen his side beaten by Letterkenny Gaels on a scoreline of 0-12 to 0-10 at O’Donnell Park.

“I don't really know what to say,” was his response to the two-point defeat. “When we got those two points late on to bring the gap down to one  I thought we were going to push on and get the equaliser. But it just didn’t happen and it was just one of those days but we had chances but did not take them.

“Letterkenny Gaels had goal chances too and could have been further ahead and they did take them with and then  we had a goal chance near the end. But Conor O’Donnell was denied with a good save by the keeper. Some days your luck is with you and other days it’s not. They had a chance for a goal that came back off the post so these things balance themselves out.” 

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Carndonagh led by three points at half-time having led at one stage in the first half by five points. However, Gaels were not to be denied.

“We were happy where we were at half-time even though they had scored a couple of late points at the end of the first half,” Doherty added. “But we did not perform for the first 10 to 15 minutes at the start of the second half and allowed them back in the game.”

Letterkenny Gaels kicked four points to Carndonagh’s one in the third quarter to draw level before kicking on with three points in the space of 10 minutes

“We got it back to one and I honestly thought we would draw level instead they scored deep in injury time to win by two,” Doherty added. “It is very disappointing.”