Summerhill hoping to follow up ‘ 85 victory
31 years. It’s a long time to wait for a title and Summerhill are hoping their Connacht drought will be over come Saturday evening.
Much has been said of the all- Sligo affair in the Schools ‘ A’ decider and one thing is for certain - the coveted Championship is coming to the Yeats County for 2016. This will indeed go down in the history books and where better to play the intense battle but in the revered Markievicz Park.
It shows the level of talent and professionalism coming through the ranks of both contenders - Summerhill and St Attracta’s - and credit must go to both schools for nurturing their players’ potential from a young age. Both have stellar performers on their panels, many who feature with the Sligo minors and even one with the senior team.
Needless to say, the rivalry existing between the two has been there for sometime with countless meetings over the years. Summerhill are vying for their seventh Connacht ‘ A’ title glory, the last coming in 1985, a team which featured former Sligo manager Tommy Breheny. Despite coming close to clinching the honours, there hasn’t been a title return to the Yeats County since that Summerhill win in the eighties.
The current crop of players are hungry to put an end to the 31- year wait and showed their class while cantering past St Muredach’s with fifteen points to spare in the semi- final two weeks ago.
Yet manager Barry Convey is not getting carried away and knows their St Attracta’s opponents will be showing extensive desire on Saturday to claim the schools first- ever Connacht ‘ A’ trophy.
He said: “The countdown is very much on. It’s going alright the lad s have been training hard, they’ve a big job ahead of them. They’re skilful enough, they’ve worked hard over the last five or six years. I’ve had this team since first year,” Barry added.
Summerhill were in the final twelve months ago and they were defeated by CBS Roscommon by a mere point so Barry is adamant that lessons have been learned this time around. “We’re not going to make the same mistakes as last year and we’re not going to dwell on that either.
“This is a different year and a different final and that is ultimately what we must focus on,” he said.
“We must approach this final differently and have a positive manner about it.”
Only three of the team were not there this time last year so the players are well versed on final day.
Barry said Summerhill’s recent win over St Attracta’s in the Connacht League final means nothing on Saturday. “The Championship is a different beast altogether. We saw that in the semi- final with Muredach’s, they are a good, physical team and moved with pace so they challenged us.”
The favourites tag must lie with Summerhill after their League glory, yet Barry isn’t passing much attention to that. “In every game, one team will be favourites, if people are picking favourites in this and it’s us, then the lads earned it and they’ve worked hard. It still means they need to perform on the day and prove why they are favourites.”
He knows it will be anything but easy against the Tubbercurry side. “St Attracta’s are a physical, strong side and they’ve dangerous men in their forward line who can do damage as they have in midfield and their defence is strong. They’re a fast side not to be underestimated,” he added.
Having both Sligo schools in the final is huge according to Barry. “It’s massive for football in Sligo, it’s a big day, it’s brilliant. It’s a testament for the work being done in developing football in Sligo from U14 to minor.
“It’s important to note the close relationship is maintained between the county board and the schools such as St Attracta’s and Summerhill to continue the hard work feeding players into the county’s minor and senior setup.” Already star forward Kyle Cawley is part of Niall Carew’s senior team making his debut this season. “It’s brilliant for Kyle and has done his confidence the world of good. I’m grateful they haven’t come looking for more of our players,” Barry quipped.
He said there’s increased risks of players picking up injuries when they’re involved both in schools and county U21 and senior panels. “It’s important that players put a lot of work into their school teams and give schools every chance because they only have a few years being part of them.”
Kyle is garnering a lot of praise since making his senior debut however Barry has a squad that are supremely talented throughout the field. “There’s fourteen other players apart from Kyle that we’re relying on for big performances on Saturday. They need to be tuned in and focussed, know exactly what they’ve to do and what’s asked of them.”
Having the final in Markievicz is also special. “It was a pity the League final was changed so hopefully there will be huge crowd in Markievicz come Saturday and that Sligo people come out and show their support for football in the county. They’ll be able to see a preview of what’s to come in the U21 and seniors,” he added.
Barry is joined on the Summerhill management team by joint- manager Joe Neary, with Keelan Watters and Mark Breheny in coaching and selector Liam Og Gormley. “There’s good experience there we broadened out the management team this year. I don’t mind who is getting the praise if we win on Saturday, as long as we win,” Barry added.