Football

Promotion battle looms as unbeaten Cavan clash with Tony McEntee's in-form Sligo

A one-point loss to Antrim in Belfast punctured Sligo's promotion hopes last season. Picture by Hugh Russell.
A one-point loss to Antrim in Belfast punctured Sligo's promotion hopes last season. Picture by Hugh Russell.

AN ULSTER title in 2020 was followed by the ignominy of relegation to Division Four last year and Cavan face a serious examination of their promotion credentials against Tony McEntee’s in-form Sligo on Sunday.

The division’s top two go into the Markievicz Park clash with 100 per cent records. Sligo began their campaign with a two-point win over Wexford and then amassed an impressive 28 points in a landslide victory over Carlow last time out. Meanwhile, Mickey Graham’s Breffnimen have recorded four-point successes over Leitrim and Wexford.

“It’s a massive test for us,” said Donegal All-Ireland winner Paul Durcan, who is part of McEntee’s management team at Sligo.

“I’ve been to watch Cavan a couple of times and you can see the strength they have coming from years and years of strength and conditioning in their camp. They are powerful runners and with their history they won’t want to be down in Division Four.

“They are a proud county and they’re pushing hard to get up so it’s a massive test for Sligo and the lads are looking forward to it. 28 points the last day was fair shooting from our boys but it was tough on Carlow, they were very understrength, they were missing five or six players so I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

Sligo began last season – Crossmaglen native McEntee’s first at the helm – by beating Leitrim in the League but a one-point loss to Enda McGinley’s Antrim was followed by a third round defeat against Mickey Harte’s Louth. Their Connacht Championship came to an emphatic end with a 20-point loss to Mayo but lessons seem to have been learned and Sligo have begun this year in impressive form.

“Tony is a very pragmatic guy, he is clear with everything he wants to do and it’s great to be around someone like that,” said Durcan.

This month’s GAA Congress in Mayo will vote on proposals to change the Championship format to a two-tier model that will take account of National League standings. Durcan favours the ‘Green Proposal’ which would see the League stay remain as it is and the Championship split coming after the provincial competitions are run over five weeks in April and May.

The eight provincial finalists would be the top two seeds in each of the four Sam Maguire Championship groups with the other eight teams determined by League placings. The remaining 16 counties will play in the Tailteann Cup.

“It’ll bring consistency into the season,” said Durcan.

“You’ll still have the provincial Championships which are important to keep. For me, the Ulster Championship is something I hold dear and I would like it to stay.

“What they have come up with is in-and-around what it should be – base the Championship on the League and still give teams the opportunity to get into the top tier. If Sligo get to the Connacht Championship then they’ll be in the top tier so that carrot is still there for them and every other county.”

Durcan – who now plays his club football in Sligo with the Drumcliffe-Rosses Point club – was a three-time Ulster Championship winner with his native Donegal. He sees five counties with realistic Anglo-Celt claims this year.

“Normally you could pick out two but you have Donegal, obviously Tyrone coming off last year, Armagh are looking really impressive, Monaghan have been up there for so many years and then Derry who are starting to turn over teams,” he said.

“I know how good Rory Gallagher is and, if he gets the buy-in that he’s asking for, Derry will be in the mix as well. It’ll be a good Ulster Championship.”