Time for Sligo to back progress with results

Hello again, nagging sense of what might have been.

A three-point margin of victory for Mayo on Sunday last was probably a smaller margin than many predicted in the lead up to Sligo’s visit to Castlebar but, as things transpired, at least through black and white glasses, it could have been so much better.

Of course, Mayo did miss a bit in front of goal and they were minus some key bodies in the likes of Jordan Flynn, Paddy Durcan and Diarmuid O’Connor, who was introduced in the second-half, but from a Sligo point of view, this will fall into the ever-expanding category of what might have been.

The game, to me, hinged on two key moments.

The first came shortly after the resumption with Mayo’s second goal. That was such a sucker punch for Sligo, coming after they had finished the first-half strongly into the breeze. More to the point, the manner of the goal was a frustrating one for the visitors – they had a free in the corner, it was belted long and Mayo created the goal chance from one long ball in in return.

Perhaps more decisive was a missed Sligo goal chance at the other end. Had Pat Spillane’s palmed effort found the net midway through the second-half, Sligo were set up for a real tilt at victory.

Obviously, the goal would have enhanced Sligo’s situation on the scoreboard but more pertinent to the overall picture was the way in which the chance arrived. Sligo had intercepted a short Mayo kickout and, perhaps, had they converted the opportunity, that concession would’ve rocked a Mayo team that had been rather unconvincing to that point. Concession of such an avoidable goal at that stage, facing into a fresh breeze, and with a fair bit of work to do to take care of the result, might have asked Mayo a rather awkward question.

Alas, Spillane’s effort was well parried on the line and Mayo survived. By the time Cian Lally’s goal did come shortly before the hour mark, matters had become a little less urgent for Mayo; the result looked secure at that point and even when Sligo did come with a spurt here and there, Mayo were always able to flex their Division One muscle in response.

Aidan O’Shea was the main difference between the sides. Eddie McGuinness did a commendable job on Mayo’s go-to man, but O’Shea still came up trumps when needed most. He won possession from his own kickout after Sligo’s second goal and, again, claimed a superb catch at the death when Sligo had narrowed the gap to three.

Above all, he offers experience to a panel lacking in that vital ingredient. The longer he keeps playing, the better it is for Mayo.

From a Sligo point of view, there was plenty to like about the performance. Niall Murphy again underlined his class – and leadership abilities – with a fine individual display on the edge of the square. Sligo defended manfully, with Nathan Mullen and the aforementioned McGuinness among the protagonists, though the absence of Darragh Cummins was sorely felt.

Cian Lally was superb, with his second-half goal an insight into the raw talent he possesses, while Luke Towey is growing into the player everyone knows he can be for his county.

The nagging sense of a missed opportunity for Sligo will come from that crucial period after half-time when, having worked so, so hard to leave themselves in a decent situation at the break after playing into that strong wind, they coughed up a goal that, by inter-county standards, was of the soft variety.

Thereafter though, Sligo threw themselves at things and while the three-point margin at the end may flatter the visitors, you can also make the case that Sligo had their chances to get over the line and into a Connacht semi-final.

Moral victories have been an all too common feature of Sligo footballing history and Sunday’s result will feel like another one of those. Given the manner of the defeat to Galway last year, it’s hard to escape the feeling that Sligo had chances to take two major scalps over the last twelve months – but came away with none.

All of that said, there’s no denying that, under Tony McEntee, Sligo are making progress. There’s plenty of evidence to point to that over the last five years but, by God, wouldn’t it be brilliant to have something to point to, to really underline that point. I wrote last week that, in championship terms, that would constitute either a statement win in Connacht or a Tailteann Cup crown. The latter is now the only possibility in 2025.

It’s hard to subscribe to the theory that Sligo are better off in the Tailteann Cup. I believe that Sligo are capable of competing with the top 16 teams in the country in the Sam Maguire competition, and that is ultimately where Sligo should be aiming to be each and every year. However, now that they are in the Tailteann Cup again, it represents an enormous opportunity to grab some silverware. Climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand in July, off the back of the underage, schools and club successes of recent years, would help keep the forward momentum going.

There’s a good break now, which will give the players and management time to refresh and regroup before embarking on their group campaign in the middle of May, when they’ll reconvene for a tilt at a competition they have a genuine chance of winning.

The summer hasn’t even started but, on the evidence provided last Sunday, Sligo will be playing for a good while yet.