‘ Momentum is there after New York win’
THE NEW YORK WIN HAS GIVEN SLIGO BOOST AHEAD OF MAYO SAYS CAPTAIN
SLIGO captain Neil Ewing says the players know a top performance is needed against Mayo in their home patch this Sunday. The Yeats men are going into the Connacht clash two weeks after defeating New York and Ewing said everyone is concentrating fully on Sunday and not what happened back in 2015. “We’re playing Mayo who are probably the stand- out team in Connacht for the last few years and they have to be admired for how they turned things around since their low point in 2010, to being in the top three teams in the country. All we can do is concentrate on Sunday ourselves, it’s a big game and when we see all the effort that’s being going in all year, lads making themselves available despite college and work, it deserves support. In Sligo people can be quick to criticise sportsteams or players, the nature of sport can be fickle at times, but it’s very important to get behind this young team,” the Drumcliffe/ Rosses Point man said.
The win over New York has boosted the Sligo side ahead of the crunch meeting with Mayo, he added. “We were delighted to come away with the win in New York, it can be a banana skin going out there. This year it was one of the strongest groups New York had over the last few years, they have all played at a decent level. It’s more like a fear of the unknown going over there as you don’t know what their form will be like as they only played two challenge games before ourselves.
“So you don’t really know what to expect. It was a tough game but hopefully now it will stand to us,” he explained.
With a short turn- around before Sunday’s game in MacHale Park, it can work in Sligo’s favour having got their first championship match under their belts.
“I suppose definitely the momentum of having won our first championship game is there and hopefully we can kick on from here.”
The captain praised the younger players too for stepping up to the mark in Gaelic Park. “It was absolutely brilliant to see the younger lads stepping up and it’s a great reflection on the work being done at schools and development panels. The likes of Paddy O’Connor, Kyle Cawley, there is plenty more like them coming through in the next few years. Some were in the middle of exams and the timing of New York was probably unfair a bit in that but it’s great to have our first championship win in the bag.”
The captain added: “It’s not ideal to have a two week turnaround after travelling to New York but I suppose on the other hand it’s great to have the win and have 14 days before our next game instead of going into a long spell of training,” he pointed out.
He praised the work being done by Niall Carew and his team over the course of the last three years too. “Niall is an excellent manager and he has great experience, he’s been involved in a lot of games at this level before.
“The people working alongside him are top class too and Niall and his team have a brilliant set- up,” he explained. Although some may be thinking back to 2015’ s defeat to Mayo, the captain said it’s Sunday that is their main focus. “Our only focus is preparing for Sunday, every single game is different in sport, you could play ten times and not have the same result. In 2015, the minute the game started the momentum went away from us. It’s important, like in any game, that we get a good start and it’s important we react in a good way from the start. It’s a 70 minute game, it’s not decided in the first ten or 15 minutes. Like we’ve seen in our League games and the last number of seasons, it’s how we finish the game.” He said it’s good to see a balance between the experienced players such as Breheny, Marren, Donovan and Harrison along with the younger faces. “The older players really inspired myself seeing what they have achieved and how they have done so well. We’re all hoping that we will see the rewards of the team’s efforts carrying on for the younger generation too.”
With regard to injuries ahead of Sunday, Ewing said like with any Championship game there were the odd bumps and bruises. “We’re hoping everyone is ready and that we’re fighting fit,” he added.