A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM
Sligo have game plan to upset Tribesmen
“We know how Galway are going to set up, we must try to keep the ball”
IT may be a battle fought in the west this Sunday, but you could throw a blanket over the opposing northern generals who will oversee it. Seven miles separate the Tyrone parishes of Sligo manager Cathal Corey and Galway coach Paddy Tally, but the truth is they are even closer than that.
Tally, who has been credited for Galway’s new-found sense of defensive structure since being signed up by Kevin Walsh, has spent most of his inter-county career working hand-in-hand with Corey’s uncle — Brian McIver.
Tally served as coach to McIver when he had stints in charge of both Donegal and Derry, while the pair worked together under James McCartan when Down reached the 2010 All-Ireland final.
And given that Corey (below) was a one-time coaching associate of Jim McGuinness when they worked together at Glenties, there should be no mystery as to how Sunday’s semi-final showdown will roll.
‘We know the way Galway are going to set up, we know how good Paddy is at doing it,’ admits Corey. ‘We know it is going to be tight but it comes down to patience and when we have the ball we must not do anything stupid.
‘We must try to keep the ball and not run into stupid places with it.
‘It is hard to play against but we must not panic and play smart,’ he continues.
But no matter how smart they play, the Connacht minnows are in for a day of hard lessons in the eyes of many observers — Sligo are 15/2 long-shots to make it back to their first provincial decider since 2015. A bookies chalkboard never won a match yet, but then again there is a reason why it’s an industry not normally associated with impoverishment.
‘You can see where that is coming from,’ concedes Corey.
‘We played in Division 3 and just about held on while Galway reached the League final and, while they were beaten, it felt like they had won. A lot of people around the country would see them as real contenders and the closest team to Dublin.
‘That is where they are at so you can see why the odds are what they are. We have our job to do and we want to put in a performance to test the real difference between Division 3 and the top division. We will go up there with our game plan set out and we will just hope that our boys do not freeze on the day so that we can get a performance out of them.’
In his rookie season, Corey is happy with what he has already squeezed out of the Yeats men.
Derry’s demotion to Division 4 was one of the big stories of the spring, but it was Sligo who put them down in a final round thriller. And it must be remembered there were genuine fears earlier this month that Sligo would go the same way as 2013 — when they travelled to London and lost — but instead they cruised to a nine-point victory. ‘I remember talking before that game and saying that it was a game that would be forgotten about very quickly but if London won it would be a game which would
never be forgotten. When you travel to Ruislip you are in a no-win situation. If you get beaten, the whole world is talking about it and if you win it you were expected to win it.
‘We took nothing for granted and on the day we did play well but this is going to be a totally different challenge.’
Adding to that challenge is the dispersed nature of his squad, but he makes light of the situation.
‘We have 16 boys up in Dublin, we have four down in Galway, while we have a couple of lads in Limerick and Athlone and those boys have to get to Sligo two, three or possibly four times a week.
‘It is tough. They have to work wild hard to do that and it is a massive sacrifice but still they do it. If we went five nights a week they would still be there.
‘When you see that you know that they are putting in every bit as much work as the boys in Dublin, Mayo, Kerry or Tyrone but the difference is they don’t get much recognition for it.
‘We have some lovely players and we have this spine of experience in Charlie Harrison, Ross Donovan and Neil Ewing who have been fantastic servants to Sligo football,’ he added.
‘They’re great role models for some exceptionally good young players who are on the way through. I really think Sligo has got a great future.’