All-Ireland Club SF semi-finals: Maurice Sheridan tells Ian O'Riordan about his adopted club's challenge for All-Ireland success.

Given the whole philosophy of the AIB club championship it seems a little ironic that the Galway football champions have designated a Mayo man as their leader. And not just any Mayo man. Maurice Sheridan was one of Mayo's longest-serving and most respected footballers, making his senior debut back in 1995 and frequently tormenting the county he now represents.

Yet Sheridan makes no apologies for his role with Salthill-Knocknacarra. On Sunday, he'll captain the Galway club as they try to beat Kilmacud Crokes and book that dream date at Croke Park on St Patrick's Day. The way he sees it the Mayo thing has nothing to do with it.

"Well I've been with the club since 2000," explains Sheridan. "Long before that I moved to Salthill while attending UCG, where I played Sigerson football. I'd also come here every summer on holiday and then bought a house in the area. And my mother happens to be from Salthill as well. So it was a natural progression to move here."

It's a little ironic too that Salthill are sometimes accused of being a team of blow-ins, when if it's the Dublin city clubs that pioneered the practice of recruiting players from other counties. They recently added Michael Donnellan to their roster from Dunmore, but Sheridan plays down any suggestion of them being a dream team.

"I don't think we're even any different than Kilmacud, for example, as they've a very good Fermanagh man with them at the moment (Liam McBarron), and Na Fianna always had their outsiders. So it's certainly no issue for us."

Sheridan isn't denying the fact Salthill have come good this past year. They hammered St Brigid's of Roscommon in the Connacht final, having beaten Crossmolina on route, and the only real blip was the rough ride against London champions Tir Chonail Gaels in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Barry Dooney is suspended as a result of being sent-off in that game, and for now they're treating Sunday's meeting with Kilmacud in Longford as their final.

"Yeah our form has been good," he says, "But this season is just about playing Kilmacud Crokes now, the same as it would be in the first round of the Galway championship. They're a very efficient outfit, but just play a simple game. They've got the big guys up the middle, the Magee's in the middle of the field, and just like to get the ball in early to Mark Vaughan. I think we play a similar enough game, so it's about performing on the day. If the mindset is right and the hunger is there, well that's what matters."

Sheridan overlooks the role of the experienced heads such as himself. Now aged 32, he's been a steady influence for Salthill in a range of positions from midfield to full forward. Along with the likes of Alan Kerins, goalkeeper Cathal McGinley and Donnellan he's been a constant inspiration.

"Well Michael has been unbelievable for us this year," says Sheridan, again deflecting praise from himself. "He's raised the bar at training, and always wants to be first in sprints, in laps, and even takes on the free-taking. He just wants to be up there all the time, and that definitely drives the rest of us on.

"I'm a small bit older, and I did have a few thoughts before this year that maybe I'd be finished by now. But Michael provides enough inspiration to drive you on and push that bit harder. I've also had my breaks over the years as well. I was dropped off the Mayo scene twice before, once in 1999 and again in 2002.

"I wouldn't say I've looked after myself exceptionally well. But I think the training is so different now than years ago that you can maintain fitness a lot longer."

It's a little ironic as well that Sheridan now starts every day leaving Galway and heading back to Mayo, where he now teaches. No one has ever told him he'll never play for Mayo again but for now he's happy playing with his friends from his home away from home, which is more than enough to satisfy his enduring love for football.

"I think the commitment at club level now is the same as it was for the county just a few years back. If not more. We train three times a week and then a game on Sunday, and you'd be out yourself another two nights a week. So at times you're at it every day. That's time consuming, but being in an All-Ireland semi-final in the autumn of your career is a nice place to be."