Neighbours do battle in Connacht

Fans are preparing for a neighbourly battle as Leitrim and Roscommon lock horns this afternoon in Connacht SFC.

This Western derby, as many derby encounters go will not be clear-cut and may go to extra-time such is the well balanced nature of these sides.

A major blow to Leitrim's chances is the omission of their free-taker supreme Emlyn Mulligan who has been ruled out through injury.

New management teams on both sides will certainly injected some freshness - with Mickey Moran and John Morrison steering the hosts, while former All-Ireland Minor manager Fergal O'Donnell guiding the Rossies.

Leitrim forward Declan Maxwell welcomes the fresh approach brought by Moran and Morrison to the Leitrim camp.

"With the two of them you get plenty of new ideas. There are a lot of new ideas in every training session. It keeps every lad focussed," he said.

"Dessie Dolan (Snr) done great things with the team previously as manager but it's the same voices every year. Players need a change and they need new ideas and hearing new things to keep the minds focussed. The boys do that every training session"

Slender defeats to Donegal, Galway and Sligo have been Leitrim's lot in recent years.

With no major Championship win since 2005 Maxwell knows Leitrim will have to push it an extra notch this afternoon to creep over the finishing line with a win.

"We need to start off with Roscommon and get a win, I think that's what the team lacks. People make excuses about different things like population and squad but any team that gets in on a winning mentality it gets them on a roll.

"One win could lead into two or three and the next thing you are like Wexford last year - you don't know how to lose a game. It's a very important thing for the team to get that first win and that's why we need to knuckle down against Roscommon."

Roscommon captain Gary Cox is eagerly anticipating this neighbourly battle, and says that preparations under former All-Ireland Minor winning manager Fergal O'Donnell have gone reasonably smoothly ahead of today's game, although there are two injury doubts.

"Preparations are going well and the bulk of us are fit. We lost Seamie O'Neill three weeks ago due to an Achilles injury and he will be out long term and Cathal Cregg as well. Apart from that we seem to have a clean bill of health and we are looking forward to the match."

Cox says that Roscommon had a very 'mixed' league campaign and he's happy that his side are still in Division 3 next year.

"When you look back on the league it was mixed from our viewpoint. We made a fairly good start and I suppose coming out of Drogheda that day (win v Louth) our thoughts were that we had a chance for promotion because we put ourselves in a few good position.

"But playing Tipperary and Down - they were very hard matches and we got comprehensively beaten in both of them too be honest."

"Hopefully the strong panel we've put together during the league will stand us in good stead in the Championship, because it's a panel game at this stage."

This afternoon the Rossies will be hoping to turn the tide, but Cox says nothing is easy when any opposition plays Leitrim in Carrick-on-Shannon.

"Definitely it will be the biggest test we've had by far. Any team that goes down to Carrick-On-Shannon gets pushed all the way. The likes of Dublin, Donegal and Galway have all gone down there in the last few years coming out with a one-point victory.

"We've had a couple of narrow escapes over the years as well so it's a very intense atmosphere down there. They really raise their game playing at home.

"But that's what you expect. It's championship football and it's going to be very tough and very intense but in my mind it will come down to who wants it more on the day."

LEITRIM (v Roscommon): N Gill; M McGuinness, J McKeon, D Reynolds; B Prior, B McWeeney, J Glancy (St. Mary's); G McCloskey, S Canning; P McGuinness, T Beirne, C Clarke; R Cox, D Maxwell, J Glancy (Glencar-Manor).

ROSCOMMON (V Leitrim): G Claffey; P Domican, J Nolan, P Kelly; S McDermott, D Flynn, D Keenan; M Finneran, B Higgins; G Cox (Capt), K Mannion, D Shine; C Devaney, S Kilbride, J Dunning.