Mark ​Henry highlights bench strength in Ballinamore’s Connacht Gold Leitrim SFC Quarter Final victory

Impact off the bench was the crucial factor in Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins eventually subduing the stubborn challenge of Allen Gaels in last Sunday’s Connacht Gold Leitrim SFC Quarter Final according to manager Mark Henry who admitted that the game was still ‘tricky’ until the final quarter.

Chatting with the Observer after the 2-23 to 1-12 victory, Mark said “I think our bench played a big, big part in that today too because when we got a wee bit ahead and we were able to bring in fresh legs, they all contributed enormously then to us stretching the lead out. You're bringing in players too that have been there and done it, a lot of those guys you're talking about have medals from 2021.

“They've played in finals here as well in the last two years. So not only are you bringing on a bit of quality, you have that bit of experience as well and composure. And I thought the lads who came on showed that bit of composure, Dean and Michael and Luke, I thought were very composed in everything they did. That certainly helped us now coming down the stretch.”

Unlike what many were expecting, Ballinamore found it hard to subdue the Drumshanbo outfit: “It was tricky right up until maybe with 15 to go. We had a great goal chance in the first half that would have stretched us out, but we didn't take it and they went straight down the field. Paul's pass just didn't make it to Brian the way we would have liked and they went down and young McCabe scored a brilliant goal for them.

“That gave them confidence at that stage and kept them in the game. It made life very difficult for us. Now, as the second half wore on, we were happy with actually how we had played in the first half and we just said that to the boys at halftime, that if we keep plugging away and doing what we're doing, we'll get the scores and hopefully we'll be able to stretch it out.”

The O’Heslins boss also praised the unselfishness of his team that led to two goals in the second half: “Those two goals that we did get in the second half were the result of lads offloading when, especially when we were a few points up, they could have easily decided ‘oh, I want my own goal, I want my own score’. But very unselfish and tried to get the ball to the person in the right position. It's a good sign of the lads and the ethic of the team.”

Mark also stressed that his players wanted to atone for their loss to Fenagh the week before, a defeat that left them very down: “Last weekend was a setback, make no mistake about it. We went to Fenagh determined to try and win the game in the hope that we'd get through direct to a semi-final. If we had beaten Fenagh, with the way the results went, that would have happened. It wasn't as if we considered that to be a game of any less importance.

“We prepared for that and, to be fair to Fenagh, they just were much better than us in the second half of that game. They took over and we couldn't really deal with them. So it was a setback and the boys were down after it but you could see, gradually over the course of the week, that they were getting their confidence and their energy back. By the time we got to Friday night when we gathered up, the boys were really mad to get out here today. And I feel like just put that behind us and move a step forward.”

Mohill are next up in the semi-final and Mark feels there is nothing about each other that the two teams don’t already know: “We know each other inside out, inside out. Of course, we had the two draws in the final a couple of years ago and the draw a few weeks ago as well. There's absolutely nothing between the two sides.

“When you look at their team and our team, they haven't changed an awful lot over the last few years. The two teams are very evenly balanced and it's going to be a massive challenge for us because they have everybody back, everybody injury-free, playing well. So look, it's a massive challenge but it's one that we're delighted to have the opportunity to look forward to.”