Connacht Senior Football Championship preliminary round:
New York v Roscommon (Sunday, 9pm Irish time, Gaelic Park)
ROSCOMMON may have blazed a trail through the early months of the league, but New York will hope to capitalise on the Rossies’ stuttering finish to their Division One campaign - and a glut of injuries - at Gaelic Park on Sunday.
Under the new management team of Kevin McStay and Fergal O’Donnell, Roscommon confounded the critics who predicted they would go straight back down to the second-tier by reaching the Division One semi-finals.
After an opening day loss to Monaghan, the Rossies reeled off impressive early wins over Kerry in Killarney, followed by an 18-point destruction of Cork at Pairc Ui Rinn and victories over Down and Donegal.
However, the final two weeks of the league saw them well beaten by Connacht rivals Mayo before a one-point loss to All-Ireland champions Dublin, while Kerry inflicted a third defeat in-a-row upon them in the league semi-final at Croke Park.
That day, as the Kingdom gained revenge for that defeat earlier in the year with a resounding 3-15 to 0-14, the Rossies looked overawed and, perhaps, a bit jaded after a gruelling spring.
Their cause hasn’t been helped by the fact they travelled to the Big Apple without six possible starters. Defender Sean Purcell and midfielder Cathal Shine picked up ankle injuries in the Kerry game, while Ronan Stack suffered a hamstring injury playing for St Brigid’s. Conor Daly will miss the whole Championship after opting to travel for the next few months, while midfielders Enda Smith and Ian Kilbride miss out with groin problems.
Meanwhile, New York, under the stewardship of Cavan man Justin O’Halloran, have been building up their training as they plan a huge ambush to start the Championship summer with a bang.
Among their number is former Down corner-back Gerard McCartan, who has been living in the city for the past two-and-a-half years and describes it as “a home from home”.
“I came out for a holiday and I just enjoyed the lifestyle, I got playing a bit of football and that was that, I never looked back,” said the Burren man.
The last time Roscommon made the trip Stateside in 2011, they romped to a 16-point victory. Bookmakers fancy the improving Rossies to win in even more decisive fashion on Sunday, with a 21-point handicap offered to New York.
McCartan kept a close eye on their Championship opponents throughout the league and admitted he was delighted to see Roscommon upset some of the big boys in the world of Gaelic football.
He added: “They were a breath of fresh air at the start of the year - it’s always good to see a team make that breakthrough and beat the teams people wouldn’t expect them to beat.”
The New York panel has been boosted by the arrival of hurler Jonathan Glynn, one of the stars of Galway’s run to the All-Ireland final last year, and McCartan says there is no shortage of talent among their ranks.
“He’s an absolute brute, he’s well able to play football too,” said McCartan of Glynn.
“Obviously, he’s one of the best hurlers in Ireland and he’s very good. He plays around midfield for us and he has some engine on him. There’s a lot of senior inter-county fellas out here, there’s more coming out every year. A lot of [club] teams maybe have five or six new players each summer, so it’s hard to build a New York team around boys coming and going.
“The only thing we’re lacking is game-time. London are lucky they play in the National League, they get a good few matches. But we’re confident in our own ability and we’ve put the hard work in during the cold winter. Preparation has been very good and we’re just looking forward to giving it a lash.”
They may hope the Rossies are still suffering from a league hangover by the time the game throws in on Sunday, otherwise it could be a very long afternoon in the Bronx.
