February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
From the Sligo Champion
It’s a classic David vs. Goliath clash, but for once, Sligo are wearing the robes of overwhelming favorites. For a county more often burdened with the tag of the underdog in advance of big Championship matches, it’s a situation that rests uneasily on the shoulders of the Connacht County.
To most neutral observers, Sligo’s assignment against New York at the Gaelic
Park on Sunday represents no more than a formality, but you would be hard pushed to find anybody in the Yeats County prepared to subscribe to that view, least of all manager Peter Ford, whose cautious attitude toward the fixture reflects the very careful approach adopted by Sligo.
Indeed, so determined were the Connacht County not to leave anything to chance that they dispatched Ford and one of his backroom team, Padraig McKeon, to the Big Apple on a fact-finding mission last month.
“The trip to New York was very useful in that it give us an invaluable insight into what to expect when we arrive there,” Ford said. “We visited Gaelic Park, the training facilities and the hotel and restaurant which we will be usin while we will be there.”
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Sligo’s meticulous build-up to the game is not only an indication of how seriously they are treating the fixture but also bears testimony to the sort of challenge they are expecting from the opposition.
“I’ve always believed that this would be a very tricky match for us”, said Ford. “It’s something of a trip into the unknown for us and we can’t afford to be complacent.
“We’ve worked hard all year and this match has been our sole focus of attention. People are talking about the later rounds of the Championship already but, believe me, we aren’t looking any further than the New York game at this stage.”
Sligo emerged as one of the charismatic teams of last year’s All-Ireland series when their great run, including an epic victory over Kildare at Croke Park, captured the imagination of the sporting public.
So far, the current season has been a little bit flat by comparison, although it should be noted that they still only missed out on qualifying for the semifinals of the National League in the last round when a home defeat to Cavan ended their interest.
“Our form in the league was a bit inconsistent, which was a worry, but perhaps the fact that we failed to make the semifinals was a blessing in disguise because it meant that we could turn our full attention to the Championship”, Ford insisted.
Eamon O’Hara, who became Sligo’s first All-Star nominee in twenty-six years last season, is once again one of the side’s most influential players. He’s featured in the half-forward line rather than in midfield during the current campaign, and given the side’s lack of power in attack, he will probably line out on the “40” against New York.
That will leave the experienced Paul Durcan to partner up-and -coming youngster Kieran Quinn in midfield, with Brendan Phillips a possible contender for the center-half berth, vacated by the injured Michael Langan.
Defensively, Sligo were reasonably solid during the league campaign, but the big worry is their lack of firepower up front. Dessie Sloyan and Gerry McGowan, two prolific forwards, accounted for 3 goals and 45 points between them during the League, but otherwise the forward line showed a very poor return. Mark Brehony, the St. Mary’s man, who was top scorer in the county Championship last season, is expected to get the call for Connacht
Championship duty in the hope that he can add extra penetration to the attack.
The game has generated massive interest in Sligo with over 300 fans expected to make the trip to New York for the unique occasion.