Mayo’s Moran mindful of a Leitrim upset

Living in a house with parents that were born and bred in Co Leitrim means that Mayo midfielder, Barry Moran, is more aware than most of what’s at stake in Sunday’s Connacht SFC semi-final in Castlebar.

The 26-year-old spent many of his childhood weekends in Mohill in the heart of Leitrim’s ‘football country’ and got to know the likes of the McGuinness brothers, including the late Philip, during his visits. Moran’s inside knowledge means that nobody in the Mayo camp is more in tune with how Leitrim are approaching their 27th championship tussle with the Connacht champions.

“I know a lot of the Leitrim lads well and they won’t fear us,” said Moran. “And I certainly won’t be taking them for granted. The last time we played them in the Connacht championship (in 2006) we only got through by the skin of our teeth, beat them by a point, and definitely could have lost. We know if we’re a fraction off, or our heads aren’t right, we could get caught. We have to be ready for action. They’re going to bring pure aggression. “They’re not going to step back from us.”