Championship 2004 Previews

Previews of this weekend's matches: Sligo v Roscommon; Offaly v Laois; London v Galway; Cavan v Down

Saturday

Connacht SF first round replay: Sligo v Roscommon, Markievicz Park, 5.0

Is the glass half full or half empty? For Sligo the chutzpah of giving Roscommon most of the game and reeling them back in the final quarter must have been gratifying whereas Roscommon will feel that they can shed any inhibitions about facing a side that operated at a consistently higher level than themselves during the league.

Yet objectively the balance has tipped towards Sligo. They were taken to be disadvantaged by having to travel to Hyde Park and having survived that without playing well, now have home advantage.

Who has learned more from the drawn match? Roscommon appear the happier with Tom Carr making only one change because of an injury to David Casey. His team created far more scoring chances albeit hitting twice their opponents' total of wides. And there are other lessons that can be absorbed without making changes.

For a start Séamus O'Neill will need to be cuter than he was when Eamonn O'Hara zoned in on the centrefield sector that O'Neill was controlling. The Sligoman hasn't had to carry the show as much this year but when last week was going down the drain he made his move. His aggressive disruption of Roscommon's supply lines turned the match and he starts at centrefield this evening. Roscommon mustn't lose concentration as easily as they did six days ago.

Faced with the dilemma of diminishing returns around the middle and a consequent scoring drought, Carr pulled back Karol Mannion but only succeeded in sacrificing an attacking threat for little impact on the lack of possession.

Sligo manager James Kearins on the other hand has made a number of changes, all of them reckoned to be quite astute. Paul Taylor comes in at full forward, which might be categorised as a risk - given that he hasn't a lot of match practice and has always been short of pace - but as an experienced and classy attacker he is, as they say in the ads, worth it.

The home side have more scope for improvement and have reacted urgently to last week's disappointing display. Allowing for the fact that a similar situation in 1998 resulted in their losing the replay, Sligo can complete the great escape this evening.

SLIGO: P Greene; J Martyn, N McGuire, B Phillips; D Durkin, M Langan, P Doohan; E O'Hara, S Davey; B Curran, M Brehony, M McNamara; D Sloyan, P Taylor, G McGowan.

ROSCOMMON: S Curran; J Whyte, M Ryan, J Nolan; P Noone, F Grehan, J Rogers; S O'Neill, S Lohan; G Cox, N Dineen, D Connellan; G Heneghan, K Mannion, F Dolan.

Referee: A Mangan (Kerry)

Leinster SH first round: Offaly v Laois, Tullamore, 7.0

There is a lament in Laois that there might have been a better time to turn the tables on Offaly - by nicking a match that they scarcely deserved to win - than a few weeks before a championship rematch. Offaly were relegated as a result, which has only added to the sense of purpose. There should have been a knock-on impact for Laois in terms of enhanced confidence but the injury picked up by full back Pakie Cuddy in a challenge with Tipperary last weekend threatens his participation. His loss would be a major setback.

Offaly have their own difficulties but at least they aren't unexpected. Brian Whelahan has had the plaster removed from his broken thumb but isn't expected to play at any stage whereas Rory Hanniffy, the team's best forward, is out for the medium-term future.

Laois have had a good year with manager Paudie Butler whipping them into competitive shape and they welcome back David Cuddy at centrefield. But Offaly will be very focused this time out and even weakened, look good enough to win.

OFFALY: B Mullins; M O'Hara, G Oakley, D Franks; N Claffey, K Brady, C Cassidy; M Cordial, Barry Whelahan; N Coughlan, G Hanniffy, B Murphy; B Carroll, J Brady, D Murray.

LAOIS: K Galvin; C Cuddy, Pat Cuddy, M McEvoy; J Fitzpatrick, Paul Cuddy, R Conroy; D Cuddy, D Rooney; K Coonan, J Young, J Walsh; T Fitzgerald, L Tynan, D Culleton.

Referee: S McMahon (Clare)

Sunday

Connacht SF first round: London v Galway, Ruislip, 3.30

London have had a good year by their standards, having won a match in the National Football League and proved durable in most of the other fixtures. Unfortunately two of the more influential players, Colm Foody and Senan Hehir, have gone to the US and a couple of injuries further affect the team.

Galway bring a strong side, sprinkled with some younger players who can benefit from the experience. When over for the hurling championship, Derry hurlers noted that London were getting really fired up for the visit of the Connacht title-holders. That fire and energy, however, will only take things so far. Galway have all the equipment to do the rest.

GALWAY: B Donoghue; K Fitzgerald, G Fahey, AN Other; D Meehan (capt), P Clancy, S de Paor; J Bergin, S Ó Domhnaill; T Joyce, M Donnellan, J Devane; M Meehan, P Joyce, N Joyce.

LONDON: Selection delayed because of injuries.

Referee: J White (Donegal)

Ulster SF first round replay: Cavan v Down, Kingspan Breffni Park, 3.30

A fine attacking game failed to separate the teams a fortnight ago. This is the third tie in so many weeks between teams from Division One and Division Two. All of them have been close with ironically the first-division sides surprising their opponents by the strength of their challenge.

Eamonn Coleman was regretting his team's inexperience in using the extra man, an advantage they had for more than half the match. As often happens, the supposed beneficiaries of the red card were more disrupted than their opponents. Cavan's walking wounded Dermot McCabe and Nick Walsh are still out of action so the team is unchanged, as is Down's.

Although Cavan now have home advantage and looked lively for extended spells in the drawn match, Down survived the last day with 14 men and have become a team well capable of scrapping. That and the fluency of their scoring under pressure gives them a distinct advantage.

DOWN: M McVeigh; M Higgins, A Molloy, A Scullion; J Clarke, M Cole, S Farrell; B Coulter, G McCartan; L Doyle, S Ward, R Sexton; E McCartan, D Gordon, D Hughes.

CAVAN: E Elliott; E Reilly, D Rabbit, P Brady; A Forde, T Crowe, A Gaynor; P McKenna, C Collins; L Reilly, M Lyng, M McKeever; G Pearson, J O'Reilly, S Johnston. Subs: A Donohue, R Donohue, A Coleman, K Crotty, S Maguire, M Brides, F O'Reilly, D McCabe, C McGovern, S Smith, S Brady, P Reilly, S Cole, E Jackson.

Referee: S McCormack (Meath)