Roscommon football manager John Evans has admitted his team left victory on the Brewster Park pitch in their defeat to Fermanagh in the All-Ireland Football qualifiers.
The Rossies blew a five point half-time lead, and a further five-point advantage in the second half, to be dumped out of the championship and left to rue what might have been.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport post-match, Evans said: “There’s no doubt about it, we did leave it behind us. But I’d be the first to stand up for this team. They came up here, they played great football and they were missing a lot of players and a lot of young players stood up there today.
“The game really showed how important the home venue is because everything went Fermanagh’s way in the last six or seven minutes. There was decision after decision after decision that went Fermanagh’s way and that was the momentum they had.
“Our lads weren’t able to cope with it, but it’s something that I think they’ll learn from next year in Division 1. Having played great football, they have to finish off the game."
Evans also praised Fermanagh's ability to come back from the dead, feeling Roscommon had come close to maintaining control of the endgame.
Evans said: “The juice was gone out of them and they got a penalty. I think there was good shape in it and that gave them some juice and brought the life back.
“[We came back strong] and thought we had closed out the game at that stage, and we went five clear again I think. And for some strange reason they put over a line ball and it went straight over the bar.
“There was such drama and I think three balls were touched by our lads – the goalkeeper, corner-back and full-back – over the bar. You know there was inches in it. The calls and the shots seemed to go for Fermanagh and on a given day that’s what happens."
The focus for Evans and his charges now swings to next year and moving forward from this season.
“Look these guys are very down and hurting," said Evans. "But we’ve had a great year in developing the team.
"To think that we were missing eight players there today and Roscommon can’t afford to do that.
"I was delighted with the young lads: the Ultan Harneys, the Ciaran Murtaghs, the Enda Smiths, the Donie Smiths, the Cian Connollys, all those guys are coming up along the line and I think these lads are going to come in time."
