Sligo’s chance for redemption after Down loss
SLIGO’S senior Gaelic footballers can still get promoted from Division Three of this year’s Allianz Football League.
However, based on their shocking demise against Down on the Sunday before last, a very rude awakening at Newry’s Páirc Esler after three wins on the trot, Sligo are clearly short of the standard required for sustained survival in the higher level.
Putting their errors aside, Sligo – already assured Division Three participation for another 12 months – were unlucky to come up against an outstanding Down outfit, a team worthy of a 100% record that should see them go up to Division Two as champions.
Promotion for Sligo would also most likely ensure participation in this year’s GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship (Sam Maguire Cup) but, looking ahead to 2025, would Sligo fans – or the players for that matter – relish seven tough, potentially unwinnable games in Division Two?
Of more immediate concern for Sligo manager Tony McEntee is
SLIGO SCORERS 2024
AFL DIVISION THREE
(14 scorers so far)
18 POINTS: Niall Murphy (1-15, 1-0 pen, 10f, 2 ‘mark’); 16 POINTS: Sean Carrabine (1-13, 8f);
8 POINTS: Patrick O’Connor (0-8);
Alan McLoughlin (1-3); 5 POINTS: Cian Lally (1-2); Pat Spillane (0-4);
Paul McNamara (1-0), Darragh Cummins (0-3), Nathan Mullen (1-0); Aidan Devaney (1f, 1 ‘45’), Luke Towey; Jack Lavin, Eoghan Smith, Lee Deignan. how to get the team winning again after that Down result, a 12-point reversal, with home games coming up against Offaly – this Saturday – and Westmeath (Sunday week, March 24). Saturday’s hosting of Offaly, with a 2.30pm start, is a move from the original date of St Patrick’s Day, but that game, which had a throw-in time of 2pm, would have clashed with the day’s festivities.
It is important that Sligo finish their schedule with a flourish – not only will two wins at Markievicz Park put them back into the promotion reckoning (even if it could be a poisoned chalice to go up).
Sligo’s promotion bid to reach Division Two, a tier they last featured in 13 years ago, also relies on other results to go the Connacht county’s way.
Beating Offaly and Westmeath will rebuild Sligo’s momentum ahead of their Connacht GAA Senior
Football Championship quarter-final against Leitrim on Sunday, April 7 (which is only three weeks’ away).
Offaly are currently sixth in the standings with only one win from five games – that solitary victory was against Wicklow on the Sunday before last, a 5-15 to 0-10 pummelling of a team managed by Oisin McConville, a former club and county teammate of Sligo boss Tony McEntee.
The Leinster county have lost to Westmeath, Antrim, Clare and Down – the defeats to Antrim and Clare were both one-point losses, 2-5 to 1-7 and 2-10 to 1-12 – and even when losing by four points to powerful Down, 4-12 to 2-14, Offaly still registered a respectable tally 2-14.
STANDINGS
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3 W L A 5 0 62 5 0 53 4 1 59 3 2 72 2 3 77 1 4 75 0 5 93
0 5 101
1. Down
2. Westmeath
3. Clare
4. Sligo
5. Antrim
6. Offaly
7. Limerick
8. Wicklow