Beating Sligo would be a remarkable day for Leitrim reckons Steven Poacher

The evenings are getting much longer and there is a definite air of anticipation for championship football as Steven Poacher prepares to lead his Leitrim team into Connacht SFC action against Sligo next Sunday in Markievicz Park (3pm throw-in) with the aim very much on creating a shock.

Speaking at the launch of the Connacht Senior Championship last Thursday at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence, there is no doubt that Poacher is very much looking forward to the entire experience: “The championship is everything. I've obviously only had one game in the Connacht Championship last year against Mayo and it was a really enjoyable occasion. There's something about it, there is a lovely feel to the Connacht Championship.

"People in Connacht are wildly passionate about their football. You could probably say that it's up there with Ulster from a competitive point of view because there's so many top counties in it, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon and the other counties below that, Sligo, ourselves, London and even New York. For ourselves, we're going to Markievicz Park. The pitch has been relayed, it's a beautiful surface and there'll be a massive crowd in Markievicz that day. It really is an occasion to be looking forward to, it really is.”

Sligo and Leitrim is the sort of game that, on any given day, either team feel they have a chance but Poacher agrees but stresses that Leitrim have history to overturn as well: “The U20s last week, I think there was only a kick of the ball in between the teams. Last year in Pairc Sean, there was a kick of the ball in it. From previous years, Leitrim lads have talked about getting very close but getting very close is one thing and winning is another thing.

"It's 15 years since we beat Sligo in a championship match. That stat is there for a reason and over the last number of years, Sligo have got the measure of it. We'll prepare for the game the way we prepare for any game. For a lot of lads, this will be their Connacht senior championship debut. Sligo are probably further down the road than us from that point of view. From an experience point of view, they have a lot of experienced players, the likes of Cian Lally, Towey, Niall Murphy, even Big Devaney, they have a lot of really experienced players. 

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“I know they've introduced  Canice Mulligan and younger lads this year who have come through, but those boys have been successful at U20 level, they've won U20 championships and that's no mean feat in Connacht.”

The Leitrim boss is cognisant of the challenge facing his troops: “We know it will be a really, really tough game, Sligo will obviously come into the game a massive favourites. We know ourselves how difficult it will be, but we'll prepare for it as best we possibly can. Please God, on the day, we can give a real good account of ourselves.

“We know that they'll come in very spirited and they'll come in very hyped up  because it's a home fixture for them. We know that they've been playing in Division 3 and as you go up the divisions, the tempo and the speed and the condition of players just gets a little bit higher. We know ourselves that it's going to be really tough on the day.”

Sligo avoided relegation to Division 4 on the final day of the league  and Poacher believes the manner of their escape will boost the Yeatsmen: “I saw Down’s game against Sligo and to be honest with you, Down stole the game that day, they scored a very late goal but Sligo were in complete control.

“On the last day, they went down to 14 men but they dug out a win against Clare  because they needed to win to stay up. That for me is as good as it gets for team spirit. People talk about team spirit and going away and training camps and doing this and doing that, but getting a win against the odds like that when you're down to 14 men, backs to the wall, that's as good for team spirit as you'll ever get.”

Yet Poacher’s ambition remains undimmed as Leitrim seek to cause a shock: “We want to go and try and win the game in Sligo and that would be our ultimate goal - if we were to beat Sligo for the first time in 16 years in Championship football, I think it would be a remarkable day for the county.

“It would be a remarkable day for these lads - it would give them just untold belief and confidence heading forward. After that, who knows? But we're under no illusions. We know that we’ll probably be going into the Tailteann Cup later in the season and our real goal is to end the season on a real positive, on a real high and we'll certainly try our best to make sure the season ends on a high.”