Davy Fitzgerald insists the Clare senior hurling players and management are tight.

The Banner County have attracted more than their fair share of negative publicity in recent weeks but, following their relegation to Division 1B, Fitzgerald says they are united moving forward:

"There's no sides to this. There's no issue, I can promise you. We're a fair-minded bunch," the 2013 All-Ireland winning manager told Clare FM

"I know how tight the players are. I know how tight as a management and players we are. At training the vibe is great all the time. The week before the last game we didn't push them that hard because I had a fair idea that Galway wouldn't beat Dublin.

"I said if we could scrape over the first Kilkenny game, fair enough, but I knew they'd put in everything they had on Sunday - and I wanted to be ready for it, wanted us to stand up and fight and show what we were made of.

"In fairness, the lads did that. As I've said, we've won four All-Irelands in 130 years. Just because we win U21s doesn't give us the right that we can go and win this, that and the other thing. That is rubbish. Teams in Galway and Limerick won those titles and won nothing afterwards.

"Can I say we will be successful this summer? I don't know. But between this summer and the next two or three summers, we will be working very hard to get a fifth All-Ireland back to Clare. That's what we will be doing. Keep things in perspective and let's not get carried away.

"And I'd like to thank the supporters that have stood behind us in this trying last month or so. I'd like to thank them very much. They know what we're about and the positivity they've given us is fantastic. I'm so proud of the lads, the way they've conducted themselves over the last few weeks as regards keeping their heads down and working extremely hard. They're a fantastic bunch of guys."

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