Tourlestrane's Gary Gaughan not taking winning run for granted

Tourlestrane have gone a staggering 41 matches without defeat in Sligo, a run stretching all the way back to 2015

CAPTAIN: Gary Gaughan of Tourlestrane (Sligo) pictured ahead of the AIB Connacht GAA Football Senior Club Championship final which takes place this Sunday.

Like Ballygunner in Waterford, there is an argument that Tourlestrane's dominance of the Sligo football championship isn't exactly healthy for the county.

Ballygunner are 48 games unbeaten in the Waterford hurling championship, crushing all opposition, while Tourlestrane have gone a similarly staggering 41 matches without defeat in Sligo, a run stretching all the way back to 2015.

"Look, I have lost enough underage games to do me a lifetime," shot back Tourlestrane's Gary Gaughan. "You don't know when this is going to end for us so that's our goal every year, to get them a championship or league medal or whatever it is because lads will go through this club at stages with no county medals and that's the reality."

Tourlestrane's unbeaten run almost stopped at 40 games because they were fortunate to win the county final, beating St Mary's after extra-time.

"Every year there's someone we come up against and we just scrape over the line, maybe get a draw and the replay we pull through it," said the veteran forward, who had four years on the Sligo panel. "The same with St Mary's, two points down in injury time. Looking back, maybe we didn't deserve to win it but the never say die attitude in our club is huge. People say, 'What pulls you through every year?' It's the club we play for, that's what it's all about."

Despite all that local success, the south Sligo club have been painfully unable to transfer it to the provincial scene.

Sunday's Connacht final clash with Moycullen of Galway will be Tourlestrane's first in exactly 40 years. Ironically, they were beaten by Clann na nGael back then, the home club of current Tourlestrane manager Fergal O'Donnell.

Current captain Gaughan was also captain back in 2011 when they took out Leitrim's Glencar-Manorhamilton and gave St Brigid's of Roscommon a decent game in the semi-finals.

But after that they lost their next five opening round games, between 2013 and 2019.

"We did come up against some high quality teams; Castlebar, Padraig Pearses, St Brigid's, all really good teams," noted Gaughan.

Still, the 18-times Sligo champions are desperate to push on in the province and finally claim that maiden Connacht title.

"When we saw the draw, it was a great opportunity for one of the three of us to get to a Connacht final," said Gaughan, referencing the fact that Tourlestrane entered at the semi-final stage and played the winners of the tie between the Leitrim and London champions.