Sligo's Sloyan expects tough battle against Leitrim as league positions mean nothing in championship derbies

Dessie Sloyan has experienced too many battles with Leitrim to expect anything but a tough battle when the Green & Gold visit Markievicz Park (3 pm throw-in) for next Sunday’s Connacht Senior Championship first round clash.

Speaking  at the Connacht SFC launch, Dessie (inset) said “I think there's a lot made out of divisions and 1, 2, 3, 4, whatever but  when it comes to Championship, it's a fairly level playing field, it's on the day and whoever plays well, wins the game. Sligo and Leitrim games are all pretty tight when it comes to the Championship. I think one went to penalties in the Tailteann Cup.

"Both teams go into this thinking they're going to win it and that's a good thing. Both teams have been a bit up and down in the league. I think it'll be a very interesting game.”

Sligo go into Sunday’s clash with a boost after they produced a superb performance in their final League game to secure their Division 3 status  and Dessie is hopeful that will carry into the game against Leitrim: “You don't want to be going into the last game of the league talking about relegation, but that's the way it went. I think our league in general was pretty good - we had a couple of poor performances but every team does. I think we're in a good place going into the Championship  and a lot of new lads got football over the League.”

But the former Sligo star is eager to point out the difference between League and championship football: “It's another step up - the Championship is a little bit different, it will bring an edge to it and you'd hope that the weight is off the shoulders thanks to staying in Division 3. To be honest with you, I think Leitrim and Sligo have a clear run at this. This is a one-off game and it's a big game for both teams to see where they're at.”

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With former Mohill manager Eamonn O’Hara on the Sligo sidelines, which he says it adds “a bit of spice to it”,  Dessie reveals that he is enjoying his first foray into  inter county management, even if there were times during the League, it mightn’t have seemed that way! The last three or four weeks of the league, was that really enjoyment? I look at it as enjoyable, it was a bit stressful but I feel the pressure is off a little bit. 

“You haven't time to look around you. It's flat out from one week to the next but that's what we put ourselves in for and that's what we enjoy doing. One time, when the league was finished, you'd get four or five weeks to settle down but now, you get one training session off and we're back in because we're playing in two or three weeks' time. We stayed in Division 3 so now we can relax a bit  and just look forward to the Championship and see where it takes us.”

The Tailteann Cup is a competition Sligo have embraced, agrees Sloyan: “Now you have two bites at the cherry. You can have a really good go at them and you have nothing to lose really. Win or lose in the Connacht Championship, you're into another competition. The three Division 1 teams, they're looking at Connacht titles but they're also going to have Sam Maguire in the back of their mind.

"In all honesty, I don't think Sligo or Leitrim are at that level yet but it gives a great chance to go and win a competition at national level. The Tailteann Cup is an absolutely brilliant competition and the only way you get players up levels is playing games and the more games they play. If you're playing at their own standard, I thought Division 3 was excellent because there wasn't a kick of a ball between any team from top to bottom and that's where you learn. 

"Even though you lose some of the games and you win some of them, there's huge learning to be taken. Young lads realise then about where they have to get physically, all that kind of stuff and that improves them, improves their decision making. So the more football you get, the better and we're looking forward to whichever side we go to.”