Winner takes all for Leitrim U20s in Ballinamore

As players and fans try to work out what seems like an endless series of permutations, Leitrim footballers know that a victory against Roscommon tonight (Wednesday April 17) will see them into this year's Eirgrid Connacht U20 Semi-Finals.

Connacht GAA have prepared a list of the various scenarios that might occur as Leitrim battle with Mayo, Sligo and Roscommon to join Galway in the U20 Semi-Finals but for the Green & Gold in Pairc Sheain Ui Eslin (throw-in 6.30 pm), the task is simple - win and Leitrim contest the A Semi-Finals.

A draw might well  be enough to see Leitrim across the line depending on the various scenarios with Connacht GAA deciding to use the Club Scoring Difference format where only the results involving the teams who are tied are taken into account. With so many draws so far, finding out who qualifies could  prove quite complicated.

A Leitrim win cuts across all that speculation - a win could leave Leitrim in a three-way tie for the top spot with the two teams that don't make it going into the Philly McGuinness Cup Final. And while it might be seen as a consolation prize, it comes with a significant prize as the winners play in  a new All-Ireland B Championship.

Right now, Andy Moran is delighted with the progress of his troops in this campaign: “I talked openly after the Senior game, Sligo are the team we want to follow and when you’re trying to turn one over on the enemy, you need to put them away when you get the chance. We didn’t, Sligo came back.

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“They’re a really good team, brought on some players who played in an All-Ireland Semi-Final last year and we maybe need to get a bit cuter but how proud would you be of the boys, that is some effort - down to Markievicz Park, Sligo needed to win the game and we come out and put on a performance like that, it is absolutely incredible.

“If you had given us a draw coming down today, would you have taken it? We’d have taken it all day long. Listen not disappointed at all, all I want these boys to see is that they can play at the level. You saw Canice Mulligan playing last week, outstanding young player - you telling me some of our boys can’t step into that next year? 

“Of course they can and we just want to show the lads you can do this if you really want to. Today I think they showed again today, after last week, that they can play at this level.”

The Leitrim boss also highlighted the strength in depth the squad possesses: “We’ve 35 fellas on the panel and they’re the most honest gang of lads, there is a gang of boys who haven’t got any minutes, haven’t got on a squad and they’re here, they’re togged and ready to go. 

“You’ve seen Leitrim for a long time, I think in times past, those lads would be gone but they’re a tight group, an honest group and they’re loving it. Tom Hughes gets injured in the warm-up and Ryan Cunningham comes in and he was absolutely outstanding. 

“Ryan has been sick for the last two weeks, he played against Galway, last 20 minutes, wasn’t able and he has barely trained since. He came back Monday, looked alive, then Tom got injured in the warm-up and he came in and played really, really well.”

One area Moran would like to see an improvement is closing out the game as Sligo grabbed 1-2 in added time to force a draw, echoing Leitrim’s loss to Carlow in the Allianz League. Asked if his team should have taken a black card to stop Sligo, Moran said “You’d have loved it if they did but that’s U20 football. 

LEITRIM U20S STUNNED AS SLIGO SNATCH DRAW IN ADDED TIME

“We got punished by that in Carlow this year where we didn’t take a foul and we got punished here today. Different levels but in fairness to our senior lads, they learned after that Carlow game.”

But mostly the former Mayo footballer is excited by Leitrim’s journey: “In two and a half weeks, we’ve got promoted, beaten in a League Final, beaten Mayo, beaten in the championship and now we’re down in Sligo drawing. I think it shows huge progress, the maddest two weeks of my life.”