Sligo Club Football & Hurling

[magpie seanie]

After what I heard of some of Tommy Breheny's comments on Ocean FM the other night you'd have to wonder. The unhealthy lack of competition at this grade at club level can't be helping but that's what happens when you facilitate the poaching of players by an already very strong team.

Happy to hear the junior result. Hope they can go all the way.

As for the club championship - God knows what we can expect. Unusually for me I'm a bit downbeat about my own clubs prospects. Lots of talent, well coached but not getting it together thus far.

[SLIGONIAN]

After what I heard of some of Tommy Breheny's comments on Ocean FM the other night you'd have to wonder. The unhealthy lack of competition at this grade at club level can't be helping but that's what happens when you facilitate the poaching of players by an already very strong team.

Happy to hear the junior result. Hope they can go all the way.

As for the club championship - God knows what we can expect. Unusually for me I'm a bit downbeat about my own clubs prospects. Lots of talent, well coached but not getting it together thus far.

What did Breheny say?

[magpie seanie]

Well the dust is just settling on the first round of club championship games. From my clubs point of view it was ultimately a very successful weekend with wins in the SFC and JFC. The senior game was eventful to say the least. The one guy who was sent off can count himself very unlucky in my eyes given all that went on. The referee completely lost control of the game and at one stage late on it looked like it could be abandoned. I was located behind the Coolera/Strandhill dugout but I believe the nastiness spilled over onto the other side of the terrace with plenty of nasty and spiteful verbals floating about - some I was a bit shocked by to say the least. Anyway, enough of that. We played some good football at times which was encouraging but have lots to work on if we're going to put in a serious challenge. 3 of our 15 made their first starts of the season so a lot to do to bind this team together. I did like the defiance shown by the lads when we were under the cosh in the last 10 minutes.

In the junior we got a good win against Shamrock Gaels who beat us in the semi final last year. A good start including an early goal gave us a lead we never lost though it was narrowed to the minimum after they convered a dodgy penalty. However we responded with another goal and just about had enough to hold out.

Elsewhere in SFC good win for Curry over Johns minus Charlie Harrison (some were surprised by this but I think Curry are a serious outfit this year). Tourlestrane overcame Tubber in a goalfest in Markievicz and Ballymote just egded out Geevagh. Elsewhere the big result was Drumcliffe beating Easkey in the IFC. St. Pats look very strong in Junior A and scored a comprehensive win over SMG.

[SLIGONIAN]

Well the dust is just settling on the first round of club championship games. From my clubs point of view it was ultimately a very successful weekend with wins in the SFC and JFC. The senior game was eventful to say the least. The one guy who was sent off can count himself very unlucky in my eyes given all that went on. The referee completely lost control of the game and at one stage late on it looked like it could be abandoned. I was located behind the Coolera/Strandhill dugout but I believe the nastiness spilled over onto the other side of the terrace with plenty of nasty and spiteful verbals floating about - some I was a bit shocked by to say the least. Anyway, enough of that. We played some good football at times which was encouraging but have lots to work on if we're going to put in a serious challenge. 3 of our 15 made their first starts of the season so a lot to do to bind this team together. I did like the defiance shown by the lads when we were under the cosh in the last 10 minutes.

In the junior we got a good win against Shamrock Gaels who beat us in the semi final last year. A good start including an early goal gave us a lead we never lost though it was narrowed to the minimum after they convered a dodgy penalty. However we responded with another goal and just about had enough to hold out.

Elsewhere in SFC good win for Curry over Johns minus Charlie Harrison (some were surprised by this but I think Curry are a serious outfit this year). Tourlestrane overcame Tubber in a goalfest in Markievicz and Ballymote just egded out Geevagh. Elsewhere the big result was Drumcliffe beating Easkey in the IFC. St. Pats look very strong in Junior A and scored a comprehensive win over SMG.

Jees it was a chaotic match to be honest, i didnt think going to the game i would see what i saw, there was serious needle on the field. Our lads really got stuck in and in the faces of the Coolera strandhill men. Without a doubt the ref lost control and had himself to blame for alot of it. But i cant excuse the sending off in the first half, Quinn got in a minor tussle with one of the coolera players and another player as Quinn was jogging away came in high and from behind and flattened him, the player lost the run of himself and should show more self control, and how Costello didnt get sent off i dont know, unless im blind he hit Wilson in the face with the ref 5 metres away and only got a yellow. Costello was frustrated and johnny kelly kept the shackles on him superbly. Mark leonard was wreckless and deserved his second yellow on our side so no complaints. I think the ref let somethings go that he shouldnt and hop balls are a recipe for disaster, he was grossly inconsistent with the 2 man tackle aswell. You could see the tension building. It spilled over onto the terraces aswell i might add, prob had more to do with the ref than tension between the clubs.

From the game point of view, we started terrible 8-1 down, but i thought some of the frees were ridiculuos considering what he let go, 3/4 were brought forward into scoring positions, but i blame our lads discipline for that. We did fight back to 8-4 at HT.Coolera really won the game early 2nd half with 4 unaswered points to go 12 -4 (mainly due to poor kickouts on our part), and credit must go to them they were down to 14 men all 2nd half. we pulled it back well and scored a peno. We never gave up but our shooting was criminal with 5/6 easy chances spurned. In fairness to our lads wilson, dara currid, quinn, and j kelly were immense, and the rest were well below there best. Some of team was made up of juniors, because we were missing Keelan watters, liam kennedy, 2 Gilsenans, Martin and Colm feeney.  I thought Luke Bree was brilliant for coolera, in thelast qtr he looked sharp and mopped up well at the back, i thought Karl o neill was brilliant at CHB, was disappinted with costello and cawley, Cawley played CHF. Quinn and O Meara won vital ball in midfield at times. My advice to Coolera if they are to have any chance this yr is to hold the heads, they lost control at times and it will cost them later in the yr, but they were the better team in fairness. Hopefully our lads will beat Harps. In fairness aswell despite Quinn and Costello rolling around on the ground, i was delighted when chatting quinny that any tension was left on the field and the lads were fine after the game, the way it should be kill each other on the field and remain friends off it .

[magpie seanie]

If you are going to mention the Costello incident at the end why did you omit what Wilson did to start it? Or the blatant kick that happened a few minutes earlier where only a free was awarded? Or when he was told by a well known SMG player to "f**k off back to Mayo and play for his own club"? I cannot understand why SMG were so incensed by that incident at the end. It had no effect on the result and if Wilson escaped censure (which amazingly he did) then Costello should have. Both did the same. A soft penalty and inability to give our lads a free in last 25 minutes very nearly did alter the result.

As for the first half sending off if lads are getting sent off for that then about 5 or 6 more should have gone, one particular blind side charge on our sub in one of the later melees springs to mind. He shouldn't have done it but I thought red was harsh, particularly if you look at the game as a whole and what went on in it.

I heard a pretty detailed report of what was said on the terrace from a few friends who were there and it surprised and annoyed me. I'm glad I wasn't there.

[sprinter]

From what I am hearing it sounds bad. County Board should step in and take control of it... maybe the answer is a north divisional team. Its upsetting to hear about the crowd trouble as well especially when our games are under the spotlight and we are competing against so many other sports in the county. Were there children at the game?

Seanie have to agree with your earlier post its Curry's championship to lose after their win over John's.

[Mano]

Sprinter what was the story of the Tourlestrane, Tubbercurry game? Heard ye were well ahead at one stage but were hanging on near the end.

[sprinter]

Tour were up by 9 at one stage and tubber pulled it back to 2 then we went up and got a goal. Our Full back was all over the place lost at sea changes will have to be made. playing mary's this saturday in tubber think one of the big hitters(Egan) will be back .

the youngest of the Egans boys had a great 1st half the second egan boy based in london had a big impact in the second half. 

[SLIGONIAN]

County Board just have to give Des Henry a lifetime ban and it would solve alot of problems, i remember being at Tourlestrane Balymote game not so long and Eugene McHale was reffing, the man was lucky it was a draw as the tour supporters would of attacked him if they lost, the abuse was worse than last sat, so just going to get that in before the south Sligo lads take the morale high ground. Plenty more examples aswell lads. Look at the abuse EOH gets at club matches. Henry is another Sludden waiting to happen, if he gets another big game there will be anarchy eventually.

[SLIGONIAN]

I didnt say much to be honest, i was alot calmer than those around me. When other supporters start hurling abuse at Quinny for getting flattened and then my Dad starts sticking up for him, then they start hurling abuse at Dad, you think im just going to let that happen? I dont know what your friends said, alot of what we said justified and reactionary. I did most of the calming down where Dad was concerned, hopefully that was reported by your mates. It was impossible for me to hear what is being said on the field aswell. The Costello incident, of course we called for him to get sent off. It was clearcut in my eyes, i honestly did not see what Wilson did. Like leonard 2 yellows if i saw something that deserved a sending off i would say it. Maybe you shouldnt go on 2nd hand info and spouting it on here in public when you dont know its true.

There were alot of neutrals at the game ringing me after with a similiar view to mine from the ref, to our missed chances and sending off or non sendings off.

[SLIGONIAN]

Accurate reports from HS,  i dont know any other posters on there, i think the reports on our game are neutrals aswell. Page 1&2

http://www.hoganstand.com/Sligo/MessagePage.aspx?PageNumber=0&TopicID=51724

http://www.hoganstand.com/Sligo/MessagePage.aspx?TopicID=51724&Latest=1#Latest

[magpie seanie]

I would dispute some of the points made (especially the penalty - Quinn picked it off the ground and it wasn't a foul never mind a flippin yellow card) and would be highly suspicious of posters who have such a low number of posts. And its Hoganstand.

[sprinter]

1509 on: August 09, 2010, 04:48:21 PM »   

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He tried to put us out of the championship gave a penalty for probably one of the best diving blocks I have ever seen. Even his umpires were embarrassed by the decision at the end of the game. I pray by the help of God we make it out of the group on Saturday and meet Ballymote at some stage, we need a focus this year to regain the championship and Mc Hale managing Ballymote would focus the minds big time.

[SLIGONIAN]

I went to check to see who the ref is for our Harps match and seen Des Henry is down for the Minor A Championship with Farnans and Coolera...God help them.

I think its far too early to call Curry favourites, i think its wide open again, if anything Tourlestranes result impressed me more than currys.

[magpie seanie]

There's no doubt Tourlestrane are the favourites but I'm just saying that Curry will take beating (remember they didn't make the quarter finals last year).