What if New York win?

Picture the scene this Sunday. It’s 4.45pm New York time and David Gough’s whistle confirms the shock. New York have beaten Sligo to confound their 5/1 odds, which would have been much lower, you would imagine, had Jamie Clarke not returned from there to Armagh.

However, he is not missed as for the first time since they entered Connacht in 1999 New York are not just a busman’s holiday, no longer the soft launch of the championship, but winners.

The Sligo men are on their knees. The bewildered congratulate their opponents. Some prefer to hide their heads in their hands. Manager Niall Carew doesn’t know where to look. The Sligo ex-pats don’t know whether to laugh or cry.