Andy Moran finding heaven after New York hell 

The doubters feared Andy Moran had brought nothing to Leitrim. Now he has brought them to Croke Park, but the Leitrim journey is just getting started. 

Leitrim manager Andy Moran speaks to his players after the game Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Evan Logan

He’s a made man in the county now for getting them to Croke Park but last year both Leitrim and Andy Moran could easily have opted to cut their losses and links and just accept that as a manager he was going to be more Bobby Charlton than Bobby Robson.

The mood was darkest in the wee hours of a Sunday morning last April. It would have been well past midnight in various bars at home, from Gay Prior’s in Ballinamore to Dunne’s in Carrick, when a certain Connacht championship game was settled on penalties, sending the New York GAA community into rapture and Leitrim into gloom. After 22 attempts New York had finally beaten someone and Leitrim had to endure the ignominy that it was them.