Losing finals

THE Connacht GAA Minor Football Championship decider last Saturday was the 13th final in this grade that Sligo has contested – and the

11th occasion that they’ve finished runners-up. Sligo won titles in 1949 (after an objection) and 1968 – the year that they reached their only AllIreland Minor final.

Along with being beaten finalists this year, Sligo lost the finals of 1935, 1936, 1945, 1947, 1952, 1976, 1996, 1998, 2015 and 2017. The finals of 1996 and 2015 both went to replays. Sligo’s final wins have come against Roscommon (1949) and Galway (1968). Their final losses have been at the hands of Mayo (four times), Galway (4), Leitrim (2) and Roscommon.

Roscommon, meanwhile, have won the title 14 times and have been finalists 25 times.

In 2018 the Connacht Minor Football Championship changed from being an U-18 competition to one catering for U-17 players.

they deserved their win. They were more clinical in front of goal that we were – even in the second-half, against the breeze, they created the goal chance.” “I think if we managed not to concede a goal then we would have won.”

“But we did concede a goal and it was in the second-half which was a tough time to concede.”

“It was great for both Sligo and Roscommon to have qualified for this final but Roscommon deserved it.”

Sligo’s late, late rally showed the determination that exists in these players according to their manager.

But he reiterated that his players simply didn’t score enough to be in contention. “Regardless of the conditions, 1-2 was never going to be enough to win a game – the aim was for us to get 10 or 11 points and I would have expected us to get that.” Sligo, incidentally, kicked a total of six wides and scored three times. He added: “I have to pay credit to Connacht GAA for actually getting the game played today [Saturday]

because if it wasn’t played today then who knows when it would have been played.”

“We would have played it on Christmas Day if we had to.” Meanwhile, 21 members of Sligo’s 36-strong panel saw minutes on the pitch, either as starters or substitutes, in the two recent Connacht Minor Football Championshp games against Mayo and Roscommon.

HARD LUCK SON: Luke Casserly is consoled by his dad, Mel, after the game.

Sligo’s overall tally of 2-11 (17 points, 13 scores) came from six players – team captain Ciaran O’Reilly, Luke Marren, Dylan Walsh, Adam Gallagher, Canice Mulligan and Simon McKeon. The team’s top scorer was playmaker Dylan Walsh (Eastern Harps), who contributed 1-3 (all from frees), with corner-forward Adam Gallagher of Curry supplying 1-1.