Shoulder to Shoulder

As the Leitrim players and team management stood shoulder to shoulder with team captain James Glancy during the minutes silence in memory of his father Michael, who died recently, one could sense their sense of purpose at Markievicz Park.
This Leitrim side had come here to win, having had more than their fill of close calls and hard luck stories.

A glance at the match programme would have given them an added incentive, because the six top Irish GAA journalists contacted for a prediction had all forecast a Sligo victory — Sligo ought to overcome a Leitrim team struggling badly to put scores on the board – – Sligo have the strength and experience to cope – Leitrim are unlikely to get anything from Markievicz Park – – Sligo are strong favourites – – Leitrim being forced to send out seven debutants points to a Sligo win – -.

Mickey Moran Scórcely needed to give a pep talk after all that.

The bookies had got it wrong too and this week they are paying out on their 5 to 1 odds for a Leitrim win.

Of course, outside of Leitrim very few would have anticipated a Leitrim-Roscommon Connacht Semi-final. But inside it was different, there was an expectation that the team was coming into form and the final Allianz National League games against Longford and Roscommon had given supporters cause for hope and had cemented the determination and self-confidence of the players and of Mickey Moran, Brian Breen and Martin McGowan.

Make no mistake about it, this game was won by Leitrim long before Junior McGowans coach had brought the team towards the dressing room — Leitrim had come to win, no ifs or buts or maybes. Sligo might be roaring favourites, but its what happens on the field that counts.
There were seven debutants surely, but they all played like seasoned campaigners, shoulder to shoulder with their more experienced team mates in a great team effort. The defence stood rock solid, midfield was mopped up by Leitrim and our forwards at last seemed to have found their shooting boots. Ahead at half time, but the expectation was that Sligo would come out with all guns blazing.

This they did and eventually drew level. Now would come the acid test of the psyche of the Leitrim players, now would come the time in the game that all the hard winter slogging had prepared for. Would Leitrim fold under the pressure, or would they walk the walk?
In a last blistering fifteen minutes we had all our questions answered. When Conor Beirne rattled the Sligo net it was the signal for a real power play, there was no collapse, the lads in the green and gold stood firm. This was going to be Leitrims day.

Wayne McKeon was selected the Galway Irish Crystal Man of the Match, but to Wayne and all the players – the fifteen who lined out, the two subs called into action, the other panel members champing at the bit on the sideline to answer the call if needed – what really mattered was that it was a team victory.

It was an emotional James Glancy who savoured the victory, looking to the heavens in tribute to his dad, with all of his friends and comrades shoulder to shoulder with him once more.

23-May-11 by Tommy Moran – Connacht PRO

19-May-11 by Colette Fox – PRO

Player Profiles for the current Leitrim Senior team are now available on the website.  

Click on the Player Profiles link in the Interactive Feed on the left hand column of the home page.

Check our boys out!

19-May-11 by Colette Fox – PRO

LEITRIM TEAM TO PLAY SLIGO

IN THE CONNACHT FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

This Sunday (22nd May, 2011) at 3.30 pm in Markievicz Park, Sligo.

Mickey Moran has named the 26 man panel to face Sligo in the Connacht Football Championship Quarter Final.

Seven players make their senior championship debuts. RonanÓgallagher, Paddy Maguire, Daniel Lowe, Paul Brennan, Robert Lowe, Adrian Croal and Conor Beirne.

Two sets of brothers – Daniel and Robert Lowe from St Marys and Tomas and Conor Beirne from Eslin make the starting 15.

James Glancy, from the Glencar/Manorhamilton Club, captains the side from corner forward. 

Liatroim

Cathal McCrann   –  Gortletteragh
Dermot Reynolds   –  Annaduff
RonanÓgallagher   –  Mohill
Paddy Maguire   –  Glencar/Manorhamilton
Barry Prior   –  Aughawillan
Gary Reynolds   –  Carrigallen
Wayne McKeon   –  Ballinamore Sean OHeslins
Tomás Beirne   –  Eslin
Daniel Lowe   –  St Marys
Paul Brennan   –  Melvin Gaels
Emlyn Mulligan   –  Melvin Gaels
Robert Lowe   –  St Marys
Adrian Croal   –  Glencar/Manorhamilton
Conor Beirne   –  Eslin
James Glancy (Capt)   –   Glencar/Manorhamilton

Philip Farrelly   –  Ballinamore Sean OHeslins
Barry McWeeney   –  Aughnasheelin
Daniel Beck   –  Mohill
James Glancy   –  St Marys
John McKeon   –  Drumreilly
Darren Sweeney   –  Glencar/Manorhamilton
Brian McDonald   –  Glencar/Manorhamilton
Conor Kelly   –  St Patricks Dromahair
Colm Clarke   –  Drumkeerin
Conor Sheridan   –  Melvin Gaels
Fergal Clancy   –   Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher 

BEST OF LUCK TO THE TEAM AND MAnÓgEMENT.

18-May-11 by Colette Fox – PRO

A Step into the Unknown

Previewing Sunday’€’s Connacht Championship meeting of Leitrim and Sligo is taking a step into the unknown.

When teams meet in any championship game there is usually a trawl back through the records and statistics to previous clashes over the decades to check on how they fared. So many wins, losses and draws for each side since the birth of the GAA. As if what happened around 1890 could have a bearing on what will happen now or in the future. The Leitrim and Sligo players will Scórcely put much store on the match results in the days when their grandfathers cycled to Ballymote or the Showgrounds in Carrick, or even when their parents parked their Ford Cortinas or Morris Minors on the old N4 near Markievich or Páirc Seán.

What matters to the players is now!

Indeed, if they were to look at all the recent forecasts from the GAA experts, neither side would put too much effort into Sunday’€’s game, for the result appears to matter little. The Connacht title is sewn up between Roscommon, Mayo and Galway. Leitrim and Sligo are looked upon as token opposition for the big three, with the losers given little chance in the Qualifiers, unless they get a handy draw.

It is likely that Mickey Moran, Kevin Walsh and their management teams will have something to say about that when they’€’re in the huddle with the players on Sunday.

Recent form can be a barometer of sorts, but then the counties operated in different divisions in the Allianz League, with both teams having regrets about particular matches that would have altered their fortunes. A few more scores would have made all the difference in their promotion and relegation shake-up.

Every score will matter on Sunday in what should be a close call either way. We don’€’t need many fingers to total the Leitrim and Sligo Nestor Cup successes, while both counties could write volumes about near misses and hard luck stories.

Leitrim desperately need a championship victory, while Sligo will want to take the first steps of atonement for missing out last year, when they were odds-on favourites in the Connacht Final having dismissed both Galway and Mayo. They appeared to have committed the cardinal error of taking Roscommon for granted. It can be difficult for the lesser lights like Sunday’€’s opponents to operate in a winning mode, they need to develop the brashness and cockiness of the bigger guns.

While memories of the displays of Packie McGarty, Cathal Flynn, Nace O’€’Dowd and Mickey Kearins will be part and parcel of Sunday, what will really matter is how Mossie Beirne, Adrian Croal, Charlie Harrison, David Kelly and all the others perform.

The current crop of players will want to make their own history.

16-May-11 by Tommy Moran – Connacht PRO