Self-belief spurs Leitrim to extend adventure

Leitrim forward Emlyn Mulligan is hoping the self-belief garnered from their win over Wicklow can power them to another victory over Laois today.

The sense of relief was palpable in Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada last weekend when they defeated Wicklow 0-13 to 0-10 to become the last county to win a qualifier game since the system was introduced in 2001.

But it wasn’t just a case of ending a 10-game losing streak in the qualifiers, it was as much about recovering from a horrific Connacht championship semi-final defeat by Mayo.

“Last weekend was huge for us; it was a real monkey off our backs,” said Mulligan. “As much as I felt sorry for myself and all the other boys coming off that field in Castlebar I felt more sorry for the fans. They came down in their droves that day and to go home with a 22-point defeat was tough.

“We didn’t think we justified ourselves that day and the Wicklow game was the first time since I have been involved that we really put the head down after a big defeat and proved a point.”

While he freely admits they are punching above their weight after all the problems of the last few years, Mulligan is sick of listening to the tales of woe.

“All we hear is ‘poor Leitrim, poor Leitrim, emigration and all of that’. But we felt that maybe we didn’t get the respect we should have, because we are better than we showed in the Connacht semi-final.

“It is a long time since Leitrim have played four championship games in the one year, but there is a real positive belief in the squad. The lads have put in the commitment for George and Barney [co managers] and all the effort put in at training over the last few weeks has paid off.”

Breen and Dugdale have managed to keep the show on the road in Leitrim after Mickey Moran’s enforced departure but Mulligan was chuffed to see his former manager celebrating amongst the Leitrim fans last weekend.

“Mickey deserves as much congratulations as Barney and George after a win like that. He taught us a new philosophy on football and how to play it. Leitrim traditionally played the long ball game, but we really try and keep it simple now.

“It was great to see him at the game. Mickey has a great love for Leitrim and he will always be respected in this county no matter what.”

And another huge improvement is needed this weekend against a Laois team who have been quietly going about their business.

“Look, we are under no illusions. We know what Laois have to offer. We’ll be underdogs again. Laois have some absolutely great footballers and looked impressive against Monaghan and we’ll need to improve again if we are to be in with a chance. But this is a bonus for us. We’ll give it everything we have and hopefully we can walk off with our heads held high.”