Please Note:  Todays Fr. Manning match between Leitrim and Kildare scheduled for Páirc Seán has been postponed and will be refixed for a date yet to be arranged.

13-Jul-13 by Colette Fox – PRO

Play your part for Leitrim

We all know the chorus of The Boys from the County Armagh and probably most Armagh followers could manÓge a line or two from Lovely Leitrim, so there will be little between us if the singing starts on the stand and terraces on Saturday.

But it is not a song contest, of course. It’s serious stuff. The winners take another step in the Championship, while the losers return to domestic competition.

The men from the North will be raging hot favourites following on from their annihilation of Wicklow in the last Qualifier round, together with having been All Ireland winners just over a decade ago and also having part of the all-conquering Crossmaglen club in their line-up. Add to that big-time experience and what have you, so little wonder that the pundits will have this game down as a sure thing for the visitors.

All that could be a valuable plus for Leitrim. And if the men in the green and gold perform as they did in the second half of the replay against London, then Armagh might have a little more trouble than everybody is bargaining for. Those last thirty seven minutes or so in Hyde Park showed what passion, pride, determination and an abundance of skill can do.

There will be great pre-match focus of what a footballing genius like Jamie Clarke can do to the Leitrim backline. But Jamie can only dazzle with his brilliance when he is in possession of the ball, so whoever is detailed to be his marker has a very specific job to do, just don’t allow him possession. Easy to say, a lot harder to do, but that is what every man in a Leitrim jersey must achieve. Just get the better of your opposite number and what more can be expected of you. We need everybody playing to their full potential and working as a team.

If the game were in Crossmaglen or Lurgan or Armagh, the home support would boost their players. Surely we can rise to the same level in Carrick on Shannon? All of us can play a valuable part, more valuable than we might think. Nothing can lift the men in the green and gold more than the Lei-trim Lei-trim chant from every corner of Páirc Seán.

Be there.

08-Jul-13 by Leitrim GAA

At half time in the Leitrim v London replay in Hyde Park, the stands and terraces and the radio listeners scattered around the country and overseas had surely been surmising just what the final score would be. Would Leitrim be absolutely whitewashed as never before? Surely there could be no way back, being fourteen points down, this was surely a bridge too far.

There would have been talk in the Leitrim dressing room too, but just what could anyone say by way of motivation?

Well, whatever was said surely brought a different team on to the field for the second half. From the throw-in there was a different attitude, a different spirit in those green and gold jerseys. The lead was chipped away and everyone played their hearts out. Now it was London who were on the ropes. Watches were checked over and over again. Would there be time? A golden chance of a LondonÓgoal went screaming wide, maybe this was more than a miss, maybe it meant our luck was in. The gap narrowed, few could believe their eyes. London had scored freely in the first half, but now were on the back foot, desperately seeking a few more points that would clinch it and knock the heart out of a battling Leitrim.

The excitement of the previous week in Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada paled in comparison to the tension filled seconds in the Hyde. A Leitrim goal ignited the Lei-trim Lei-trim chant that could be heard halfway to Athlone. There was still time, we could sense it would end in a draw. And extra time would surely be the opportunity Leitrim wanted. Please God, let us get a draw, just a draw, that’s all we’re asking for.

The final whistle ended our dreams of a Connacht Final appearance, but sent London players and supporters into ecstasy. They became history makers and who could begrudge them their glory?

Leitrim hearts were heavy, but the players could walk off the pitch with dignity.

02-Jul-13 by Leitrim GAA