Time is ripe to gain revenge

Keith Duggan talks to Leitrim manager Declan Rowley, who believes his players, after a long wait, are ready to face last year's victors, Roscommon

Last year, Leitrim were the first team out of the starting blocks for the championship, travelling to New York to play the ex-patriots. This time, they are the very last. On Sunday, they play Roscommon in Carrick-on-Shannon, a game that will undoubtedly bring vivid recollections of what ought to have been one of the great shocks of the championship last year. Instead of playing the poor mouth as had been expected, Leitrim stormed into the game and were deeply unlucky not to win, falling to a last-minute Roscommon goal.

"At the time, it was very disappointing but I think if there was a hangover it was ultimately positive because it made the players see that we could compete for a full game against a strong county," said Declan Rowley earlier this week.

Driving home from Kells, Co Meath, every evening, where he is supervising the Leaving Certificate examinations, has given the Leitrim manager time to consider the state of his county. This summer is the 10th anniversary of Leitrim's famous Connacht championship. The 1994 title was the county's second, the inaugural win coming in 1927. Earlier this year, the county won a Connacht junior championship, defeating Mayo along the way. Ten of the current senior panel were involved in that triumph.

"It was mainly under-21 players from Mayo but it was still a nice confidence boost for us and for football in the county in general," Rowley said.

Leitrim's National League campaign was ordinary. They beat the teams they were expected to beat - Carlow, Louth - and had expected defeats to Offaly, Roscommon, Donegal.

Rowley, however, never deviated from his original position on the league. He never set out any far-reaching objective for his team other than to win as many games as they could.

"It was always going to be difficult for us because we had a number of key, experienced guys like Shane Canning and Fintan McBrien unavailable to us for most of the season. In a county like Leitrim with a small pool, those absences are magnified.

"We had a young team that was finding itself. But the main reason I felt we might struggle a little was that we have light, fast players and just the nature of league football was never going to suit them. So I wasn't too concerned about the way the results went for us."

All through Leitrim's training sessions, Rowley made a point of specifically mentioning June 21st as the D-Day of their season.

Leitrim spent a week in training in Cyprus after the league and have posted a number of good challenge results of late, including a victory over neighbours Longford. Roscommon, after coming through an epic local tussle against Sligo, will still be heavy favourites to win on Sunday.

But Leitrim players have long learned to cope with limited expectations of their form. Ten years ago, they profited through a mean defence, holding Roscommon to 0-12, Galway to 0-9 and Mayo to 2-4. A similarly low-scoring encounter would probably suit them on Sunday. Yet when the counties met in the last game of the league this year, Roscommon blew past them.

"Roscommon were on a roll at the time and we were still dealing with a situation where guys were just coming back into the team. I don't think the result carries all that much relevance in relation to the weekend. But since then, Roscommon have come through two very tough games against Sligo, which will have done a lot for their game and morale.

"For us, it has been a long wait, watching games going on all across the country and we feel ready now to play some football. Training has been going well and our team is coming together nicely but yeah, the time is ripe and I think it is going to be a fantastic occasion on Sunday."

It is a sobering thought to consider that the championship season of neighbours Sligo has ended before Leitrim even set out. Having watched Sligo play Roscommon as potential opponents, Rowley was taken aback by the ultimate brevity of their season.

"They did so many things right against Roscommon. I think many people felt they had enough to go down to Clare and get the win in the qualifiers. But fair play to Clare, they set out their own game plan and it worked. That game reinforced the fact that on a given day, any team can cause a surprise.

"And there are small signs that that is becoming more true. Look at the way the Leinster championship is unfolding. The sense of conviction is spreading through all counties now."

Perhaps the omens are Leitrim will mark the 10th year since of their most famous Connacht run with a statement of their own.

"I was joking with the boys the last day that maybe God was watching last year and the goal going in was His way of postponing the win until this year. We learned from that day and I know we will have the same belief going into the game a year later."