Sligo Club Football & Hurling

[Teeling Gael]

Hugely disappointed here this morning after our 1 point defeat yesterday to Marys. Spent a period yesterday bemoaning 4 clearcut missed goal opportunities, balls rebounding of forwards and going over the bar for Marys and most of all a dreadful referee who in fairness gave us everything in a league match against Coolaney in June but nothing yesterday. However now I am more thoughtful about it and realise that you make your own luck and having only 10/12 guys at training isn't good enough and 16 togging at championship matches forcing unfit players to play isn't good enough. Good luck to Marys who have a genuine second team that play well together and to the best of their ability. We will struggle to stay up now I think with a mounting injury list but maybe, just maybe you are better in a championship you can win . Will Drumcliffs predicted walkover yesterday force the CCC into changing the "draw" for relegation playoffs which would be the fair and common sense thing to do ?? Coolaney thrashed enniscrone and with a full compliment of players back wouldn't be far away from another title. Michaels were lucky to draw with Cloonacool but its enough to have 2 very lobsided halves in the competition. Harps lose half an intermediate team and replace it with a competitive outfit that in all likelihood will lose to Farnans though in 1/4's.

In senior , the only interesting game of the day really was Curry vrs Coolera whereby Curry laid down a marker in the second half. As I alluded to last week Seanie , I'd question whether a couple of the guys ye were playing, were good enough to repeat 2005 and Saturdays result suggest they weren't. Castleconnor look in trouble and as expected Easkey and Drumcliffe came through their group.

[Teeling Gael]

Baoithe

To summarise : Curry beat Coolera by approx 8 points , Tubber beat Ballymote by 12 , Easkey beat Geevagh by 2 and Drumcliff and Shamrock Gaels drew. Harps thrashed Johns and Marys thrashed Castleconnor. In Intermediate : The only match I didn't mention above was Tourlestranes win over Ballisodare.

The website has an unhappy knack of being down most Mondays recently. In fairness its been kept well up to date all summer. A commercially oriented person would have plenty of banner advertising on it which would at least pay for an upgrade if presumably thats the problem.

[magpie seanie]

Desperately upset about Saturdays result. Its a long time since we took a trimming like that in the championship (1998 I think) and its a humbling experience. From what I hear the turning point was the ridiculous award of a goal against us in the first half (umpire signalled it but ref overruled him from 60 yards away) when we were perfoming quite well. That said our lads supposedly never turned up for the second half. My sources tell me that the scoreline was a bit harsh but losing is losing. No time for feeling sorry for ourselves though. Gotta get this relegation thing done and worry about rebuilding some time after. Not sure who we have for definite but you need 2 wins outta 3 to be safe now. The system is a joke but it is what it is. Our minors are in a league final and championship semi final so after a barren few years the production line is starting up again. All is not lost.

Elsewhere results were largely as expected in the senior. The margin of Harps beating of John's suggests to me that they are the ones to watch but winning margins can be misleading. Cannot see the winner being outside of Harps, Curry or Tourlestrane.

I intermediate Coolaney/Mullinabreena's hammering of Enniscrone and Michaels only drawing with Cloonacool (who were obliterated by Molaise) caused my eyebrows to raise a bit. The depth of resources available to Eastern Harps was confirmed. Hard luck to our Owenmore Gaels contingent. A draw and two narrow defeats could easily have been 3 wins. The relegation thing should be redrawn and Drumcliffe fired down to junior. I would make sure that your clubs reps get onto this immediately and contact the C.C.C. about it. Not fielding in championship is the lowest of the low. The same club did the same in the minor "A" championship a few weeks ago and were immediately thrown out.

Hope the website is back up soon.

[Owenmoresider]

Very disappointing result for us at the weekend, missed three sitters of goal chances (one particularly brutal miss near the end), and as Teeling Gaels said, rode by a ref who one would have thought would not have been one for doing the fairies any favours. They go through in second, and I suspect Michael's will beat them. Indeed Michael's could end up in the final yet. Surprised somewhat that Harps won, but they'll exit in the Quarters. Looking like Farnan's v Mullinabreena/Molaise (could be a close one yet) and Michael's/Pat's in the semis. A handy Championship for the winners, possibly the last of such for a while.

In Senior, things went as expected. Harps and Curry giving warnings of their intentions for the rest of the Championship. Tourlestrane should beat Calry to tidy up matters, leaving the QF's now at: Harps v Tubber, Curry v John's, Easkey v Calry, and Tourlestrane v Drumcliffe, with the first named winning in all probability. Tubber could be the best chance of an upset.

Meantime the relegation playoff groups have sorted themselves out, much to our detriment. In Senior, Coolera, Castleconnor, Ballymote and Shams are in one group, with Mary's, Geevagh and Bunninadden in the other. Castleconnor and Geevagh may be taking the fall, with Ballymote and Bunninadden the likely alternatives.

Intermediate: Us, Curry and Enniscrone in one, Ballisodare, Cloonacool and Drumcliffe the other. That second group probably won't be needed now, meaning Ballisodare survive by virtue of not winning any game for two years running. In our group, we're playing against the wind here I'm afraid, but it's not beyond us at the same time.

Website is as reliable as Castleconnor's league form, so no sign of next weekend's fixtures yet.

[Teeling Gael]

Seanie, thanks for your advise on contacting CCC. Afraid it done absolutely no good . Various excuses include the fairness to Ballisodare and Cloonacool ( vrs the integrity of football in Sligo ? ) and no word from Drumcliffe on whether they were officially withdrawing from the competition ( surely they should have been thrown out with a maximum fine possible to boot ). I'll accept these as excuses, I dont agree with them but I'll accept them.However what I can't accept is how looking at the draws for the relegation playoffs Cloonacool were due to play Drumcliff on Saturday yet the game scheduled now is Ballisodare vrs Cloonacool. Not only is the CCC doing nothing , they are complicit in covering up the embarrassment of no games going ahead in this relegation section by rearranging the fixtures !!!! 

See you can dust down the boots on Saturday Seanie also. Thought they would have played the Geevagh and Coolaney backmatch first seeing it was from an earlier round of the league.



       

[magpie seanie]

Various excuses include the fairness to Ballisodare and Cloonacool ( vrs the integrity of football in Sligo ? ) and no word from Drumcliffe on whether they were officially withdrawing from the competition ( surely they should have been thrown out with a maximum fine possible to boot )

What about fairness to Owenmore Gaels and Enniscrone (won't bother saying Curry as club second teams are looked on as dirt?). There is no integrity in this system where Ballisodare will stay up 2 years in a row without winning a game. We won 2, drew one, lost one by a point and another by 3 points last year and went down (got tanked in last game granted). Drumcliffe should be thrown out immediately the did not field. its a joke. Must look up the official guide to see.

Anyway - all that said ye can still do it. One thing ye are is unpredictable and if this injustice can be used to fire your boys up then it may be the silver lining to the cloud.

Yeah - just heard we are in action Saturday evenig against a resurgent Coolaney/Mullinabreena. Obviously our priority is Sunday morning so we'll most likely have a shook enough outfit for the second team game.

[Owenmoresider]

No elaborations on the weekend's action, in summary:

Senior - Tourlestrane beat Calry, goals crucial, though they seemed to have it tough. In the relegation playoffs, Ballymote got their break to beat Shams, but Castleconnor's defeat of Coolera throws that group wide open. Ballymote should secure safety next week while the losers of Coolera/Shams are in big trouble, provided the rulebook isn't brandished to desired effect. Mary's won against the Bunnies, close enough.

Intermediate - Cloonacool beat Ballisodare as expected, not that it matters anyway. We were dire v Enniscrone, though injuries picked up did us no favours at all. Enniscrone were no good either, but had it easy in the end. Win or bust against Curry now, but Junior looks to be on the horizon. If only we could take Ballisodare with us.

Fixtures for the QF's up, no senior double-headers this time, and suddenly Tubber is good enough for them after all. Tourlestrane and John's get what are effectively home ties.

[EScroneman]

Hello all. Often read the posts but have never bothered myself until now. Just wanted to pull you up there Owenmoresider on this "We were dire v Enniscrone, though injuries picked up did us no favours at all. Enniscrone were no good either, but had it easy in the end"

I was playing for Enniscrone and I thought we ate you in every single position but just kicked a lot of wides, which i'd put down mostly to the greasy slippy conditions. We were in for a couple of goals too which we missed. Don't think it is fair for you to say we are no good either. As for injuries. We were missing one midfielder (Kevin Carden), Ctr Forward (Donal Kavanagh), Full Forward (Mark Gordon) and wing forward (Steven Kavanagh). Were missing a good few other peripheral players too and indeed only had one sub at the match. What we can't believe is that we didn't beat ye in the championship proper, although we played essentially the whole game with 13 men versus your 15. We were confident we could win the intermediate and were gutted the last day out when beaten. Normally when we play we have to beat the opposition and the ref. We've had extremely harsh sendings of against Owenmore gls and St Marys very early in the match. Against m'breena we got absolutely nothing from the ref who gave critical decisions against us when we had almost brough the game back after being 10 down at half time. There are a number of theories around our club as to why this bias in refs is against us. Some think it is cos we are out in the west with no county board representation worth a damn but personally I think it is because we have a couple of roaring idiot fans that turn refs against the team. A long season is over and ends in dissapointment again - maybe next yr.

[Teeling Gael]

Welcome to the board EScroneman. The more the merrier particuliarily on the club scene where there aren't many regular posters.

I too was "playing" on Saturday evening and have a couple of quick comments on both yours and OMS posts. Firstly Enniscrone were by a mile the better team on Saturday in all facets of play. Our intercounty goalie made some super saves to keep the scoreline respectable. However to only score 4 points in the first half does cause question marks over your attacking quality after your complete dominance of the half and perhaps this is what OMS is referring too.

In respect of our championship meeting earlier , both your players deservedly saw red. - One for kicking out and the other for a complete and total lack of discipline. I would have felt that the ref favoured us in the first half and Enniscrone in the second half. I would have felt that we were well on top in first half and Ye in second half so a draw was a fair result. I'd also respectfully suggest that in naming the players you were missing , you named the guy who was sent off against us for a total lack of discipline and you are much better without that sort. Your perceived lack of support from referees may indeed be related to this disciplinary issue. Both ourselves and Marys had  genuine grievances about the validity of crucial points ye got against us so refereeing issues normally balance out. I dont think it is fair to link it with county board representation and you wont win anything unless you forget about that notion.

Dont think your relegation will do ye any harm. In fact a winning run in 2A next season could give your young players the confidence boost needed to win the intermediate next year. Finally your centre back on Saturday , was the best centre back I seen this year ( perhaps could even be yourself !! ) and ye should build your team around him. Keep posting !!

[magpie seanie]

EScroneman - a good first post and I look forward to further contributions from you. I expected ye to do better in the Championship this year cos I'm well aware of some of the talent ye have at yer disposal. It will come right if you keep at it. As for the refs - its easy to develop that feeling. Whether its true or not its something you have to get over and not waste energy on something you have no power over.

Now - to my own depressing weekend. Was looking forward to a game (despite a probable hammering) on Saturday evening but unfortunately only 9 others felt the same way. I can't understand it but that's me. Some say its understandable cos we're down already. Should have been out of the way before this. Don't fancy our chances of getting a team out for the last game either.

Then came Sunday. The most abject, gutless display I've ever seen from a Coolera side and I've seen a few. Credit to Castleconnor - they battled and tried but to be honest they are not good. That tells you how bad we were and how much we need to improve to avoid the appaling vista of two teams in the intermediate championship next year. Getting relegated 2 years after winning a county title could nearly be a record. I'm not optimistic at all about us turning it round. We have to at least win one of the next two games against teams that are better than Castleconnor to force a playoff at worst.

[EScroneman]

We'll have to agree to disagree on some of those decisions. We got a dodgy point against Marys but jesus christ we didn't get a free from the 1st minute in that game till the end and we were subject to some serious abuse (probably due to our perceived dodgy temperment). Same player (ctr forward) got sent off in that game for a trip with a straight red and no one could believe it at the time. Agree that said Ctr Forward was rightfully sent off against ye for mounthing but I thought the kicking out sending off was a bit harsh on the other player - indeed the ref told him he was sorry for sending him off after the game!! Our ctr back is Declan Cawley, his brother Liam is corner back. He is a class footballer but has suffered with injury over the years and is pushing on a little in age (if he reads this he'll not be impressed) - what I mean is I don't know how much longer he'll be around for. Mark Gordon is a player with so much talent it isn't funny, he has that ability to kick points from anywhere when he is on form . Sometimes he lets a mistake or two drop his head and that is his biggest weakness. 1st day out against ye he had his worst game of the year, but he is only 21 and he'll be a county man if he can get mentally strong.

[magpie seanie]

Agree about Mark Gordon. He is seriously talented. We're crying out for decent forwards for the county team and he certainly is one that has the raw materials to be a serious player at county level.

[Teeling Gael]

Escroneman , if Declan Cawley is pushing on a bit in age , I wouldn't like to hear you describe myself and Seanie !! Is he even 30 ?? Was extremely disappointed with Mark Gordon in our match in championship but common consensus was that he just had one of those games. Needs a run with seniors next spring ( at least 3 games in a row ) and that would tell a tale. Will ye have much of a team out for the Curry match next Saturday to cement your place in intermediate ??

Haven't read you as depressed in a long time Seanie. Would have expected ye to beat Shamrock Gaels at weekend but by the sounds of it morale has taken a bit of a hammering in recent weeks. Funny I notice with relegation playoffs , teams that are out of contention for 1/4 finals before last round seem to have an ability to regroup better than teams who go down to the wire.

[Owenmoresider]

Hello all. Often read the posts but have never bothered myself until now. Just wanted to pull you up there Owenmoresider on this "We were dire v Enniscrone, though injuries picked up did us no favours at all. Enniscrone were no good either, but had it easy in the end"

I was playing for Enniscrone and I thought we ate you in every single position but just kicked a lot of wides, which i'd put down mostly to the greasy slippy conditions. We were in for a couple of goals too which we missed. Don't think it is fair for you to say we are no good either. As for injuries. We were missing one midfielder (Kevin Carden), Ctr Forward (Donal Kavanagh), Full Forward (Mark Gordon) and wing forward (Steven Kavanagh). Were missing a good few other peripheral players too and indeed only had one sub at the match. What we can't believe is that we didn't beat ye in the championship proper, although we played essentially the whole game with 13 men versus your 15. We were confident we could win the intermediate and were gutted the last day out when beaten. Normally when we play we have to beat the opposition and the ref. We've had extremely harsh sendings of against Owenmore gls and St Marys very early in the match. Against m'breena we got absolutely nothing from the ref who gave critical decisions against us when we had almost brough the game back after being 10 down at half time. There are a number of theories around our club as to why this bias in refs is against us. Some think it is cos we are out in the west with no county board representation worth a damn but personally I think it is because we have a couple of roaring idiot fans that turn refs against the team. A long season is over and ends in dissapointment again - maybe next yr.

Think TG has been proficient in the hitting-nails-on-heads business re your points (as well as the wide-ball 'points') EScroneman. Really ye should have beat us out the gate by far more, we were terrible. No good was harsh I suppose, but for a team like yerselves ye really shouldn't be in the relegation playoffs. Strange because ye always seem to have better underage teams compared to Easkey or Castleconnor.

As regards the double sending-offs, the second fella deserved it, and arguably the first fella could maybe have got yellow. What you need in those situations is someone on the line who is prepared to shout loudly "you dirty (insert description of indivdual here)" when the incident takes place, just in case the ref doesn't see it clearly!

And as regards CB representation, well not all of us had a clubman in the chair for a decade, but there you go. One thing worth noting is that ye never seem to get as many of yer games played out west compared to your neighbours, Easkey and particularly Castleconnor get a lot of games at Quigabar/Easkey, which is certainly no hindrance. Maybe Joe was busy looking after the votes, sorry I mean neighbours. Certainly Castleconnor would have been ran out of town now if they came looking to be allowed stay in Senior, like they did back then.


Anyway, back to matters at hand. Quarter-finals this weekend. In short:

Senior - Tourlestrane, Easkey (not by a lot), Curry and Harps in a tight one. Fourth QF now, Tubber can't be the coming team forever.
Intermediate - Michael's, Farnan's, Pat's and maybe St. Molaise Gaels, but a Mullinabreena win wouldn't be a huge surprise. The value of the sterling will be clearer by Sunday anyway.
Relegation - Ballymote, maybe Shams (a question of morale as much as anything), Enniscrone and I think Cloonacool might win the other tie.

[baoithe]

It's great to see another addition to the board who can formulate some well informed posts with respect to club football in the county. It makes interesting reading for those of us somewhat detached from our clubs at home. To top it off EScroneman you have doubled the West contingent on the board!
Now my question is, can anyone tell me what the state of play is with regard to the semi-finals pairings? Are Pats and ourselves kept apart from here on in other than, should the situation arise, that we both reach the final?