AFTER losing their Connacht title, followed by a good league run which sees them sitting joint top of Division Two, Leitrim got 1996 off to a less than vibrant start - being walloped by Mayo in the FBD Connacht League at the weekend.
Manager John O'Mahony isn't unduly concerned by this reverse. "We were a bit understrength. We decided we were going to use the first two matches (in the FBD) to give everyone a run. There were four or five who hadn't even trained with us. The impression might have been out there that we have suddenly developed huge options. Sunday killed that myth but we had only one player who started against Down - Killian McLoughlin."
Leitrim's National League campaign has been positive with only a narrow opening defeat by Dublin spoiling wins over Down, Cavan and Louth.
"I've been pleased enough, very pleased in some ways. We let Dublin off the hook when we didn't play for about 15 minutes. When we got the goal, we should have gone for the jugular. We still have to go to Armagh. Cavan won there before Christmas. I was hoping for a different result so that when we went there, Armagh would have a few points under their belt. Teams sometimes lose focus in those situations.
"The Down result was a good one for us. They were without James McCartan, Ross Carr and Barry Breen but we went for the jugular then alright."
One of the most obvious disadvantages of the county's tiny population base is that building a strong panel is difficult. There have been a few comings and goings since 1994 but radical change isn't an option.
"The panel's not much different. Gene Bohan and Brendan Guckian have come in but they would have been on the panel for two years. Gene came through quite suddenly in the end and got a big lift from Carrick doing so well. Fergal Reynolds and George Dugdale are back from injury although George may have recurrent cartilage trouble. He's an important player for us, a highly motivated guy.
"Shane McGettigan came on against Dublin and started against Cavan and has kept his spot. Kieran McGovern has also established himself. I'm glad to have been able to bring in new players and not lose our competitiveness."
Of the newcomers, Gene Bohan has captured most attention. A star minor, his breakthrough has followed on foot of a successful club campaign which saw St Mary's Carrick-on-Shannon reach the Connacht final. O'Mahony is pleased but doesn't want to lose perspective.
"He's done well - so far, so good. He came through from being a good minor and is motivated in the right direction, wants to do well. In the county championship, he'd a great strike rate
"In my first year, I actually played him in the league against Kildare (a decisive match to decide play-off places). He was a bit overawed but had done well against Carlow and so on - that was the year the league was mixed altogether. Maybe we should have taken him off, but thought at the time it was better to keep him on for future experience."
Looking to the summer, O'Mahony is aware that Galway's resurgence and John Maughan's assumption of the reins in Mayo have created an even more competitive environment in the west and regrets last June's failure to beat Galway - a match Leitrim should have won - but he remains hopeful.
"I always said that it was going to be difficult to come back if we didn't win last year. Credit to the players, they've put their shoulders to the wheel in the league. The most crucial thing is the Armagh game. We need to keep momentum going and it would be great to get a promotion place. It would give us a big lift."
Kildare's manager, Dermot Earley, will be pleased that a number of his panel members have returned to training. These Davy Dalton and Seamus Dowling.
