We will sharpen up for the London challenge, says Tipperary football manager Philly Ryan

Pleased with the result but not with the performance -that’s how Tipperary manager Philly Ryan summed up a successful trip to Walsh Park last Sunday, when his side proved too strong for Waterford in their National Football League clash.

The two points move Tipperary up the table as promotion contenders and that’s what the Clonmel Commercials man wants.

“We want to be in the hunt for promotion, there’s no pressure on us on that score”, he said.

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“This squad is better than Division 4 players, and that’s what they are pushing for, and pushing themselves along. They hope to be in Division 3 by the end of the league and that’s the only aim they have”.

But the win in Walsh Park wasn’t perfect and he wants to see improvement for the London game at FBD Semple Stadium this Saturday at 5pm.

“We are disappointed with aspects of our game and we can thank the defence that we came away with a win.

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“We weren’t pretty upfront and left a lot of scores behind us, so we have a good bit to work on during the week. We have to work on certain things and we can identify those.

“What pleased me most is the way the backs performed. They did exactly what we asked them to do, fought for every ball, were strong in the tackle and very disciplined”.

However, he pointed out that the side need to sharpen up in attack. He was pleased with Seanie O’Connor’s 1-10 total, including 1-6 from play.

“When the chips were down, he came strong for us, but he also missed a few and he’ll know that better than anybody,” Ryan said of his fellow Commercials clubmate.

The manager said he was disappointed to see team captain Steven O’Brien come off injured after just seventeen minutes.

“It’s a quad injury and we knew we’d have to take him off but we hoped that it might be in the second half, we didn’t expect it so soon”.

However, his replacement Cian Smith settled into the game seamlessly, and scored the game’s only two-pointer, a crucial score in the 53rd minute to stretch the Tipp lead to five points, 1-10 to 0-8.

“It was a big ask coming on for Steven but it worked out well for Cian,” his manager pointed out.

He says he is happy with the impact that the subs are making, reflecting the strength of the panel.

“Our panel is strong, and there are others outside the panel who would be starting but are out through injury”.

He added that he is pleased with five points after three games.

“We are disappointed that we left a point behind us in Carlow, we could have six but that’s being ultra critical.

“We will review what worked for us against Waterford and what didn’t, and we will sharpen up for the London game”.