GAA FOOTBALL: Manager is enthused by team’s graft in semi-final

Tony McEntee says Sligo gave everything in Tailteann Cup thriller against Down that went to extra-time

EVERYONE from Sligo felt crushed. Those who were there at Croke Park or had been watching this epic on RTÉ. But Sligo manager Tony McEntee couldn’t quite pinpoint what he was feeling afterwards.

There, face by an array of media microphones in the concrete maze that is the bowels of the Hogan Stand, he reflected on the county’s second unsuccessful Tailteann Cup semi-final under his watch.

Two years ago Sligo might have beaten Cavan but didn’t; last Sunday they should have overcome Down but were undone by a red card, a soft penalty call and the Ulster county’s ability to grind out a two-point win after extra-time.

“We were so close in the end but I don’t know about being disappointed – I’m trying hard to process an emotion, I don’t know it if is disappointment.

“I don’t know if I can be disappointed after seeing the players give their all. I think we put in a display that we wanted to give – while every player may not have been a nine or 10 out of 10 in doing that – I think they all did extremely well and I’m so delighted for them.

“We fought for this competition, we fought for these semi-finals to be played on the Sunday and we performed. I don’t know if we could have asked much more than that.

McEntee is adamant that getting to a Tailteann Cup semi-final, coming close to dethroning Galway in a provincial semi-final as well as a promising campaign in Division Three of the Allianz Football League, should act as a catalyst for Sligo in 2025.

“I have spoken to the players about

how this should be a platform for progression and not a point where we fall back down.

“We were here before in a Tailteann Cup semi-final but we were hoping to beat Sligo – hoping that we’d do well – for this game we came here [Croke Park] thinking that we

The number of times that Sligo have reached the Tailteann Cup semi-finals (2022 and 2024).

had a good chance of winning and actually going on to win the competition.

“We did all of that – we never died, we fought hard and we kept going. The sending off probably did turn the game but we had opportunities after that and we could have held out.

TAILTEANN CUP 2024 SEMI-FINALS: Antrim 1-13, Laois 3-12 (June 23); Sligo 2-15, Down 1-20 AET (June 23)