Mulholland not complacent about Sligo

THE statistics may show that it is 21 years since Sligo last managed to beat Galway in a Connacht senior football championship match. But Alan Mulholland, Galway's right half back, is adamant the Tribesmen won't be complacent when the teams renew rivalry at Tuam on Sunday.

"We may be favourites to beat them on home territory, but we certainly will not be taking Sligo for granted," said Mulholland. "Of course, we hope to beat them but they are a good team very fit. It won't be easy."

When the sides met in the provincial championship first round two weeks ago, it required a late free from Sligo's Paul Taylor to force a replay.

"Some people might think we have the hardest part of the job done, bringing them back to Tuam. However, Galway are not typical defending champions; and we were actually nervous going in to that first match with Sligo. I don't think we have the arrogance or confidence that, perhaps, we should have. Sure Mayo are even installed as favourites to win the Connacht title, priced at 6 to 4 as against 100 to 30 for us," he said.

"I don't believe we really capitalised on our provincial success last year and our National League form was poor enough. I think we need these Sligo games to bring us on. Success breeds success, and that is the only way to get confidence levels up."

"If we manage to beat Sligo on Sunday, then having two championship matches behind us will be a huge benefit, whereas Leitrim will be effectively going into the semi-final cold. But we know, better than anyone, that we face a tough encounter first against Sligo," says Mulholland.

Nicky Malone will make his championship debut in the Leinster senior football first round encounter with Offaly at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday. The Dunleer player gets his chances because of a knee injury to Leinster Railway Cup player Gareth O'Neill, which rules out the fullback.

Seamus O'Hanlon and Colin Kelly, who collected Interprovincial medals with Leinster this year, are named at centrefield and left-corner forward respectively.

The Minister Council decided last night to switch the Senior hurling championship semi-final between Kerry and Tipperary to Saturday June 15th in Tralee with a 7.45 start. Meanwhile Kerry are considering a request from Waterford to change their senior football championship semi-final from Sunday June 23rd to the previous day.