Anthony McGrath helps Steven Poacher mastermind Leitrim's upsetting of Sligo 

Leitrim boss Steven Poacher was full of praise for his players and management team after their Connacht Senior Football Championship quarter-final win over Sligo.

The 3-15 to 1-20 victory at Markievicz Park ended a 15-year wait for a win against the Yeats County, and Leitrim now advance to face Galway in the provincial semi-final on April 25th.

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Poacher - who had Ballyshannon native Anthony McGrath beside him on the line - reflected on the significance of the result after, saying:  "It's 15 years of hurt and it's worth it today.

“The journey these lads have been on, I can't even begin to tell you the journey these lads have been on. I was just saying to Anthony earlier that it's astonishing.

"This is a young group. I don't think people realise. I think we've five U-20s on the field there at the end. I think there are 12 or 13 lads probably under the age of 22 or 23 finishing the match.

"That is a Sligo team that's further on down the road than us. A Sligo team that have aspirations of being in Division 2 and contesting Tailteann Cups.

"Today will do the world of good for these lads, but what they'll do, and I told them inside before we went out today, I said 'you will inspire a generation of young Leitrim lads here today if you can pull this off’.

"Every one of them to a tee, including their six subs, the blood sub, the five changes, they worked their socks off until there was nothing left to give.

"And you know what? They deserve that. They deserve that and it's fantastic to see.

"Leitrim are a proud county, and I'm just really looking forward now to Galway in two weeks' time."

Another Donegal man, 2012 All-Ireland winner Eamon McGee, was part of Eamonn O’Hara’s Yeats Backroom team at the weekend.