HENRY IS GUTTED BY RESULT
SLIGO’S RESULTS
CONNACHT GAA U-20 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2024
Played on Wednesday, March 20
Played on Wednesday, March 27
Played on Wednesday, April 3
goalbound shot that was tipped over for a point and twice Eli Rooney aimed shots at goal but the ball flew over Galway’s crossbar each time.
Robert O’Kelly-Lynch was industrious, too, but Galway, whose second-half levels dropped only slightly (they scored 10 points in the second-half compared to those 13 ridiculous scores in the first-half), were superbly on song.
Meanwhile, Sligo U-20 manager Paul Henry hailed the effort put in by this year’s panel, with a number of these players involved in the county’s first-ever Connacht title at this grade two years ago and then last year’s successful title defence.
“We explained to them [the players] that they’ve done a huge amount for the county, they have given a lot of people belief – you could see that the way the supporters applauded them off the pitch at the very end. The players can hold their heads high.”
Had Sligo won last Wednesday it would have meant a third successive provincial final at U-20 level. This would have been new territory for Sligo GAA.
“We’ve had a terrific couple of years [in the U-20 competition] but when you start winning you want to keep going, you get greedy and you feel that Sligo should be contesting finals.
ROUND THREE: Galway 2-16, Sligo 2-12
Played on Wednesday, April 10
Played on Wednesday, April 17
Played on Wednesday, April 24
AFTER Sligo’s time as defending champions was over, an outcome more or less confirmed by half-time but made official by referee Michael McGirl at full-time, Sligo U-20 manager Paul Henry, pictured, took a while to absorb what had happened. Galway were superb throughout but, according to Henry, Sligo didn’t show what they were capable of.
The Curry man stated: “We didn’t really show up in that first-half and we gave ourselves a huge mountain to climb [for the second-half] and unfortunately we just couldn’t get it back. Fair play to Galway, they were the better team on the day.
“We thought we were in good shape for this game but – for whatever reason – it just didn’t go for us.”
Galway weren’t playing the previous week – but Sligo, of course, had got through a tough game over Mayo, a win that put them into the semi-final.
Henry didn’t think this gave Galway any sort of advantage coming into the fixture at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, instead he highlighted how the Derek Savage-managed Tribesmen were just better in all facets of play in the first-half.
“They had more intensity and workrate. They were on every breaking ball. They deserved to go in at the break well ahead of us although we got the lifeline of a goal just before half-time.”
He added: “We needed goals in that second-half to get right back at them. We are out of the championship now and that’s unfortunate because these are a great bunch of lads that we’ve been working with.”
Sligo GAA have yet to confirm if Henry, who has guided the county to provincial titles at Minor (U-17) and U-20 level, will remain at the helm for the 2025 campaign.
“We felt that this year’s panel were good enough to be in another Connacht final – unfortunately it didn’t work out for us but that’s sport.”
Henry also hopes that the players who will no longer be eligible for the U-20 team in 2025 can make the transition to the Sligo senior squad and follow the example of Canice Mulligan, last year’s Sligo U-20 captain, who has broken into the senior team this year.
He added: “I know we have a few lads from this team who can wear the senior jersey in the future. Players are coming through from these U-20 teams and that is a great thing for Sligo.”
Galway take on Roscommon in Saturday’s final (Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 5.15pm).
Best for Sligo: Ross Doherty
Sligo: Ethan Carden, Ronan O’Hehir, Conor Johnston, Tommy Ross, Rian O’Callaghan, Dylan McLoughlin, Rossa Sloyan (0-1), Ross Doherty, Conor Sheridan (0-1), Robert O’Kelly Lynch (0-1), Ronan Niland (0-1), Conor Walsh, Luke Marren (0-5, 3f), James Donlon, Conor Flynn (1-0)
Subs used: Dillon Walsh, Eli Rooney (0-3,1f), Mark McDaniel, Eoin Barrett, Oran Harte Subs not used: Jamie McCoy (gk), Ross Chambers, Ciaran Kenny, Cian Carty Galway: Eamon McGrath (0-2, 2f), Shane Canavan, Darragh Costello, Brian Noone, Jack Folan, Ross Coen (0-1), Mark Mannion (0-1), Shay McGlinchey (0-2), Jack Lonergan (0-1), Matthew Thompson (c) (0-3, 1f), Cian Murphy (0-2), Conor Heneghan, Jack Mullin (0-4), Ciarán Mulhern (0-2), Colm Costello (0-4, 1 ‘mark’, 1f)
Subs used: Fionn Mac Donnacha (0-1, 1 ‘mark’), Daithi Kilcommins, Luc O’Connor, Pádraic Godwin, Cormac Greaney
Referee: Michael McGirl (Leitrim)
SLIGO’S senior Gaelic footballers, who are among the leading contenders for glory in the upcoming Tailteann Cup, have received a favourable draw in the second tier GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship.
Tony McEntee’s charges, who were unlucky to lose to Galway in a recent Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final after a progressive Allianz Football League campaign, have been drawn in Group Two along with Antrim, Wexford and Tipperary.
Sligo went into Tuesday’s draw as one of the top seeds – the three other counties denoted as ‘first seeds’ were Down (Tailteann Cup runners-up in 2023), Fermanagh and Kildare.
As one of the first seeds, Sligo avoided these other contenders in the group stage.
Down were finalists in this year’s Allianz Football League Division Three, beating Sligo in this grade, while Fermanagh and Kildare were relegated from Division Two.
Sligo are set to host Wexford
(third seeds) in round one on the weekend after next. They will be away to Tipperary, the group’s fourth seeds, in the round two (May 18 or 19).
The round three contest against Antrim – who Sligo defeated last February at Markievicz Park in an AFL Division Three fixture – will take place at a neutral venue on either Saturday, June 1 or Sunday, June 2.
Winning Group Two will put Sligo into the quarter-finals. Finishing second in the group after the roundrobin stage will secure a slot in the preliminary quarter-finals.
Even if Sligo were to wobble and end up third in the group they would still make the preliminary quarter-finals but only as one of the three best third-placed teams. New York join the competition in the preliminary quarter-finals.
The four teams that finish bottom of their respective groups do not go into the knockout stages. This is Sligo’s second year to compete in the Tailteann Cup – they took part in the inaugural competition two years ago and were semi-finalists. Because they reached the Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship in 2023 they competed in the Sam Maguire Cup – the tier one championship – and finished bottom of their section, Group Three, after one draw (with Kildare) and two losses (to Roscommon and Dublin).
Meanwhile, Sligo’s neighbours Leitrim have been placed in Group One alongside Kildare, Longford and Waterford. Leitrim secured promotion from this year’s AFL Division Four but lost to Sligo in a Connacht GAA Senior Football Championship quarter-final last month.
TAILTEANN CUP 2024 Kildare, Leitrim, Longford, Waterford
Sligo, Antrim, Wexford,
GROUP THREE: Fermanagh, Laois, Wicklow, Carlow
Down, Offaly, Limerick, London
NOTE: New York enter the competition at the preliminary round stage.