O’Donnell and his Rossies Crazy Gang ignore the odds

FERGAL O’DONNELL just can’t help himself with the soccer references.

Last year, he compared Roscommon to Wimbledon after guiding his county to a first Connacht title in nine years with a victory over Sligo that bore vague enough similarities to the Crazy Gang’s defeat of Liverpool in 1988.

And he has been at it again in the run-up to this Sunday’s provincial final when the Division Four side and holders will look to thumb their noses at top-tier opponents and tradition when Mayo come to Roscommon’s very own version of Plough Lane.

“It is a bit like the FA Cup, I suppose, and for us in Connacht it is very big,” said O’Donnell, who accepts that it is harder to retain a title than win it in the first place.

“None of our lads would have played in front of a big crowd at the Hyde. They have been playing here in Division Three and Four in the league. That’s why it’s great. I hope they enjoy that because it doesn’t happen that often.”

Mayo will pitch up on the back of a second-half blitz against Galway in the semi-final but with significant questions continuing to hang over a team in the process of being rebuilt under new manager James Horan.

O’Donnell isn’t interested in hearing any of that and has been eager to talk up the opposition. Tactical though that may be, some of his assertions are difficult to argue with, regardless of Mayo’s physical or mental well-being.

“A Connacht title would be massive for us but if Mayo beat us the next question will be how far they can go. That isn’t going to happen here,” said O’Donnell, who knows how little it takes for expectations to elevate across the border. Whatever about September, few Mayo sides have ever travelled to Roscommon with anything other than supreme confidence and enough of Horan’s players were part of the firing squad that hit Roscommon for 3-18 in Castlebar two summers ago. Guys like Alan Dillon, Andy Moran and Trevor Mortimer, who have many a championship campaign behind them, have been introduced to a younger breed of player by Horan, whose counterpart has looked on with an envious eye.

“They have players they have brought in like (Jason) Doherty and (Alan) Freeman. Freeman was there last year but Doherty was excellent in the league, scoring with Cillian O’Connor. I watched him from minor and he is a fine player.

“They have a lot of young players like that. We wouldn’t have that strength in depth. Barry Moran was the star two years ago and he is not in the panel. We wouldn’t be able to leave players of that quality out. Conor Mortimer is out as well and they’re still flying.”

Mayo have hardly been more impressive in reaching this stage than Sligo were last year but the respective traditions of those sides have coloured opinions more than form ever could and the perception was that Roscommon won a handy Connacht title last year. O’Donnell, like his players, has heard all that before and couldn’t care a jot for it. In five, 10 or a hundred years’ time, no one will point to the 2010 season and punch holes in what his side did. They will be recorded as champions. He said: “We were such underdogs and no one expected us to win it last year. It was one of the biggest upsets of the year. It would be a big upset if we beat Mayo, if you look at where they are at and we are at.”