Former colleagues square up

Reel the years back. July 3rd, 1994, in Carrick-on-Shannon and John O'Mahony stands alongside Joe Reynolds watching 15 minutes of horrible football. Both Galway and Leitrim seemed stricken; it would have been impossible for the casual stranger to guess that each had spent a season toiling for this hour.

Could either of them have guessed then the extent of the wonder that lay around the corner? O'Mahony would, of course, go on to steer Leitrim out of Connacht for the first time since 1927. Reynolds, an astute and unassuming selector, gained delight in seeing fellow county men drink in the glory.

It would be nice to reflect on that time as a golden epoch for Leitrim football but, while O'Mahony and his selectors assembled a unit of considerable talent, their rise was inspired as much by an unbending work ethic, fine organisation and on-field opportunism.

The bones of that fabled Leitrim season is hardly the stuff of romance. They led by a point at half-time of that early July match, 0-3 to 0-2. The match ticked on in that low-scoring tense fashion and a jaw-dropping save by Galway's Martin McNamara seemed destined to preserve weighty tradition. Then Declan Darcy of Leitrim nailed a late free and they finished deadlocked.

A week later, it was similarly tight. With the likes of Seamus Quinn, Gerry Flanagan and Noel Moran soaking up pressure all day, Leitrim stealthily struck gold late on when Padraig Kenny swung over an injury-time point that settled it.

On Sunday, of course, the two teams meet again, with O'Mahony standing calm and in maroon. It is likely that when he shakes hand with his old protege before the throw-in, a fleeting, ineffable gesture will pass between them. A nod to old times.

"Everything I learned was from John," volunteered Reynolds earlier this week at a Bank of Ireland press conference. "He is, obviously a very meticulous manager and as well as that, he is a good man to work with. He includes everyone in a role and, when he was with Leitrim, I would have been very involved with John in the management side of the team and it has stood to me.

"The fact that we were in the Connacht final before, well, I'll know what to expect on the day and I know that, whatever happens, we'll still be the best of chums anyway. That doesn't mean we won't be putting it up to him on Sunday."

Reynolds would be the first to admit that dealing with heavy publicity was not listed on his job description when he took the Leitrim post but, now that Leitrim are making another splash, he has dealt with it as though it is second nature, easy-going and articulate and quietly assured.

It is easy to see the qualities which would have drawn O'Mahony towards him in the first place. "I was delighted to see Joe taking over the mantle of senior manager because it was something I was hopeful of when I left, that there would be a continuity there. I am on the record as saying that Joe played a major part in the 1994 success and it is great to see him involved at this point again.

"As he says, we remained very good friends after that time and that's what sport is about, more so than the great rivalries we hear so much about. They are fine for the field but when the game's over, they are left there."

In late July, Leitrim left something special on the field when they beat Mayo on a scoreline of 0-12 to 2-4.

O'Mahony is still revered around the county since that day and now one of his old backroom boys has a chance to emulate that. No one, of course, gives Leitrim even the faintest shout. And Reynolds would have it no other way.