Sligo are rising but how high’s their ceiling?

It’s generally not a great thing to take too much solace from a defeat, but it’s hard to pick holes in what was a mammoth effort from the Sligo footballers on Sunday afternoon. Losing to Down after extra-time in the Tailteann Cup semi-finals was a painful experience, but the performance produced by the men in black and white underlined one important point: Sligo are moving in the right direction.

Silverware and a Tailteann Cup title would have been the perfect way to underline that, but ultimately this has been another year of progression. However, progression has to lead to something in the way of an achievement at some point. More of that later.

Sunday’s match was a cracker and right from the off Sligo embraced the occasion. Cian Lally had a superb first-half, Sean Carrabine and Niall Murphy looked sharp and generally speaking Tony McEntee’s side were fairly comfortable against decent opposition. Don’t forget, Down beat the Yeats County by 2-17 to 1-8 in the league earlier this year and, on that occasion, looked head and shoulders above Sligo in virtually every facet of the game.

This time, though, Sligo tore into it. As a county, Sligo always rise to the challenge of playing in Croke Park. Thinking of the visits to HQ over the last 25 years, it’s hard to remember a massively underwhelming display. Generally speaking, Sligo do well there.

Sunday was a case in point. You felt the wide open expanses of the playing surface on Jones’ Road would suit a Sligo team filled with pace and good forwards. That proved to be the case as they roared into the game from the off and established a 1-5 to 0-4 lead at one stage in the first-half. There was a four-point margin in favour of the Black and White at one stage in the second-half, too.

All the way through, though, you just got the sense that Down were getting their scores that bit easier. Nonetheless, when Canice Mulligan palmed home that second-half goal, Sligo were in the driving seat.

There’s no question the turning point in the game was Nathan Mullen’s red card in the 61st minute. It wasn’t immediately obvious whether the punishment was deserved or not, and the live TV coverage didn't show any replays given the serious nature of the injury to Oisin Savage. To be fair to Mullen, he has had another marvellous season and few will lay any blame at his door. There was no malice or intent in his challenge, so it was unfortunate.

Is there anything Sligo could have done better? Again, it's hard to fault anything in that regard. Of course, having re-taken the lead through Darragh Cummins' added time point, Sligo had managed to nudge in front again as the finish line came into view and while you could argue they should've held on, you also have to take into account the energy sapping nature of the game on a warm day and big pitch, with a man less for the final ten minutes of playing time.

You'll read about Mayo manager Kevin McStay elsewhere in these pages, with the Ballina man pointing out in his post-match reflections on Saturday night that Mayo have been on the wrong side of three exceptionally close games this year, when they've conceded late scores to see victory slip away. You could make the same point about Sligo. Think all the way back to January. The loss to Clare in Ennis in the first round of the league was by a point. The loss to Galway in the Connacht Championship came as a result of an added time goal for the Tribesmen. And Sunday's defeat came only after extra-time.

So, in that context, this was very close to being a brilliant season. As it is, it has been a reasonably good year for Sligo. Retention of Division 3 status was a minimum requirement and that was achieved with little fuss, but there is a nagging sense that promotion was on. The Galway loss in Connacht was gut-wrenching, as was Sunday's defeat.

It brings us now to a stage of reflection at the end of another season.

Tony McEntee's stint as Sligo manager has generated much debate locally, but the evidence stacks up in favour of the Armagh native. Having taken over in the winter of 2020, McEntee has successfully guided Sligo out of Division 4 and they've now become much more competitive with teams above them in the traditional pecking order.

I've written before about the need for Sligo now to take a more ambitious view in terms of what is achievable, and this season's performances only further emphasise the potential Sligo have. Don't forget, there has yet to be the full integration of players from the two Connacht under-20 winning teams, too. So most of the evidence says, as mentioned earlier, that Sligo are moving in the right direction. But the question is, where is the ceiling?

Sligo can maintain a place in the top two tiers of the National League, so promotion to Division 2 soon is important. Regular Sam Maguire football is also achievable. That, to me, is where Sligo can and should be.

How do they go about getting there?

Well, for a start, if Tony McEntee wants to remain in situ, with his management team, then they should be afforded that chance. McEntee was handed a one-year extension last year, having completed his initial three-year term, so presumably there will have to be discussions around his future in the bainisteoir's bib.

Continuity is something that is lacking in inter-county football but it's so important, especially in developing counties like Sligo with so many young players. McEntee remaining in his position would be a positive development.

2024 will go into the books as an 'almost' year but with plenty of encouragement to take forward into next season. From a strong foundation, there is real scope to make a big impact.

A lot done, more to do.