Leitrim Men & Ladies League ambitions hit the road

Leitrim's Men's and Ladies football teams are on the road next Sunday when their National League campaigns resume, the Men's team heading across the water to take on London while the Ladies head to Kilkenny as they seek to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.

On the face of it, Jonny Garrity's Ladies have the easier of it as they come up against a Kilkenny team who are firmly anchored to the bottom of the table, scoring just six points in their three outings to date while conceding 13-59.

Even with the demands of the trip to Kilkenny, a team with the scoring power possessed by Leitrim should have far too much strength for the Cats and Jonny Garrity may continue to experiment with his team, having already given debuts to 11 players in the three games so far.

The experimentation has proved valuable with Kate Gormley  winning The Croke Park LGFA Player of the Month Award for January after just two outings with the Green & Gold. The St Joseph's player has been a huge addition to the starting line-up with St Francis' Niamh Morahan also making a big impression in her debut campaign.

The question for Garrity and his backroom team is do they implement wholesale changes from the word go and see how the new faces get on or keep a strong line-up to ensure the victory before trying out new players? 

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What will Leitrim learn from Devaney, Gormley and co running riot and with unlimited substitutions allowed at this stage of the League, there is room to experiment and give fringe players a chance to stake a claim at a starting spot.

Leitrim will be strongly favoured to take the points in Kilkenny (venue yet to be confirmed at the time of going to press) but Garrity's side looked poised to maintain their 100% record next Sunday.

The mood music around the men's team is somewhat different and a lot of that is down to the fact that every Leitrim fan knows that London in McGovern Emerald Park in Ruislip (1pm throw-in) represent a serious challenge for Steven Poacher's young emerging side who  have shown definite signs of improvement.

But as much as there were positives to be taken from the defeat in Aughrim, the struggle to put away a physical Waterford the second day out caused a few to worry but, to be honest, those struggles were to be expected because once Leitrim are favoured to beat a team, we often struggle to do just that.

The Deise were big and powerful, somewhat similar to London but Michael Maher will have his team far better drilled and organised. The Exiles beat a second string Leitrim in the FBD Insurance Connacht League Final with Leitrim really putting it up to London in the second half.

But there was a feeling during the  game that London were playing within themselves and a draw with Tipperary and a win over Longford in Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, not an easy venue for Leitrim down through the years, has probably increased expectations across the pond.

In many ways, that will add to the pressure on the home side - Leitrim have the disadvantage of travelling over to Ruislip and London would love to put a bit of daylight between themselves and the Green & Gold in the battle for promotion. That adds to the expectations for a team that is normally always the underdog.

For Leitrim, the big question is who will be available - scuttlebutt has it that Barry McNulty may be on the bench in Ruislip which would be a huge boost to this young team but you'd always worry about rushing back a player who has been out for so long with an injury as tricky as a hamstring.

Whether Tom Prior will see action is another question, certainly Leitrim need his directness and speed on the ball but the sooner the likes of Cillian McGloin, Killian Gaffey, Conor Reynolds and Paul Honeyman are at full fitness, the better for Leitrim.

Sunday's game represents a tricky banana skin in a Division where every team seems so evenly matched. London will be physical, methodical and will have analysed Leitrim to the nth degree and they'll be determined to make the most of home comforts.

For all that, London's ambition may suit Leitrim who have produced big displays when up against fancied opposition - Mayo, Sligo and Kildare last year saw Leitrim produced great spells of football and it was replicated in Aughrim and so nearly led to a victory.

Nothing would surprise me either way but I've got the feeling that this Leitrim team love rising to a challenge - a fit Barry McNulty would lift the entire team and may just prove the difference in a tough battle next Sunday in Ruislip.