Football

Full squad brings new problems for McCorry

WITH a host of university and Warrenpoint players now freed from other commitments, Down manager Jim McCorry admits he faces a delicate balancing act in the coming weeks.

After Sunday's come-from-behind victory over Kildare, the Mournemen face Roscommon at Pairc Esler on Saturday night, with McCorry hoping to continue tinkering with his line-up, whilst retaining a strong chance of victory.

"If you've experimented with different players and different styles of play and players in different positions in the McKenna Cup, it is accepted if you don't win," McCorry said.

"But in the League you don't have the same amount of forgiveness, yet as a manager you still have to try new players and you have to get them game time.

"You have to give different panel players the experience of being with the squad on match day - because you can't take everybody to all the games."

And, although university players have featured for Down already this year, the exit of Queen's and Ulster University from the Sigerson Cup - as well as Warrenpoint's exit from the All-Ireland intermediate club championship has seen the pool of players available to McCorry swell considerably.

"With Jordanstown we have Caolan Mooney, Danny Savage and Danny McKay - so obviously we were careful with Caolan on Sunday because of the hamstring, to make sure he wasn't overplayed," he said.

"Now we aren't worried about them having another game on Wednesday.

"The Warrenpoint players will only join the squad after this weekend.

"After discussing it with the players it was decided that the best thing for them was to get the defeat out of their system and get a bit of a rest.

"After the Roscommon game there is a three-week break and they will come in to in-house training and games where we will get a good look at them."

Although county managers' concerns in relation to key players playing full-blooded Sigerson games at this time of year are well documented, McCorry has taken a more diplomatic position on the matter.

"The good thing about it is that they are gaining experience and match fitness," he said.

"With St Mary's [still in the competition], Kevin [McKernan], the two Johnstons [Ryan and Jerome] and Barry O'Hagan have a game next Wednesday [against DCU].

"They wouldn't have been double training, we would have made sure of that by talking to the managers - the rumours of the training regimes in a lot of counties are greatly exaggerated.

"I would also have preferred to have seen Jordanstown progress in the Sigerson along with St Mary's because if they played each other it would have been a good game for us to see as we would have so many players involved in both teams."

And while McCorry acknowledges that he wants to see as many players as possible, he insists that results are his priority.

"Your main objective is to

"When you look at Division Two, it is very, very tight with teams on a par - despite what pundits might say about who are favourites.

"A lot of the games are going to be won on a margin of one or two points, and even going in to the final minutes of our game on Sunday, we were looking at a two-point defeat.

"A goal either way will decide the games - there will be no game with a team dominating with a big scoreline.

"We have to fight for everything."