By Alanna Cunnane

He dreamed of donning the Sligo jersey from a young age and Easkey/St Farnan’s Mikey Gordon is happy that he has gained much more from the experience of county football than just the chance to compete at elite level.

“You're playing at the highest possible level and while we have had some disappointing results over the last few seasons, there have also been great days” he says mentioning the Minor League trophy and the 2015 Connacht Final as two.

“I have friends for life and I've no doubt the group of lads there at the moment will turn our form around and we’ll have more good days going forward.”

Club and hurling wise, a more recent standout memory is last year’s county final triumph with Easkey/St Farnan’s.

“There isn't any feeling like winning with your friends and family, especially as it was our first senior title as a group, having come up the entire way through underage

Also, it gave everyone a well needed distraction during the pandemic, so that one was sweet” adds the 23-year-old engineer.

That feeling of team spirit is what Gordon believes “is what the GAA is all about”, but if the feat is to be replicated this year, they will have to toss Naomh Eoin to the side this Sunday first.

“The standard for hurling in Sligo has increased hugely of late and became very competitive“ so Gordon feels that Sunday’s clash will be a “huge battle.”

“Naomh Eoin is a top team with some top-quality players” he says. “The last two county finals between us have been decided by a few points so it will take an enormous effort to get over the line on Sunday.”

To do so he concludes would “be justification for the work” he and his teammates have put in all through lockdown and beyond, but to see whether such confirmation is granted we will have to wait and see come 5pm Sunday in Markievicz Park.

The Senior Hurling Championship Final between Easkey and Naomh Eoin takes place on Sunday at 3pm in Markievicz Park.