Connacht SFC Semi-final Galway v Leitrim:The quiet county are modernising and looking ahead - but won't abandon their traditional values, writes Keith Duggan

In Leitrim, the line between success and failure is often paper-thin. Last year, they came desperately close to beating Mayo in Carrick-on-Shannon, playing with purpose and steadily gaining ground when the whistle went to leave the final score at 1-10 to 1-9.

The counties were reunited later that summer, though not in direct competition. Leitrim were rewarded for a fine Tommy Murphy Cup campaign with a competitive match in Croke Park. It was their first visit there since the all-conquering year of 1994, when the quiet county were champions of the west.

They provided the curtain-raiser to the Dublin-Mayo All-Ireland semi-final. The team that just about scraped past them in the first round of the Connacht championship were now operating on a different plane.

Later that afternoon, Mayo would record one of the most dramatic championship victories of the modern era. Leitrim lost the Murphy Cup to Louth by 3-14 to 1-11.

"It is something you would think about," admits John McKeon, who will captain the side tomorrow. "We did everything we could to stop Mayo that day and came close. To see them going on to the All-Ireland final is a reason to keep going.

"The Murphy Cup was a hugely valuable experience and getting to play in Croke Park was a highlight. Leitrim people travelled in numbers and half of Mayo was in the stadium so we were playing in front of a full house in the second half and you got a sense of what the biggest football days are like."

The country does not know enough about John McKeon. If he happened to be born in either of the big two counties in Connacht, he would regularly be hailed as one of the best defenders in the game, fast and tidy and perceptive, a quintessentially modern player. He formed part of a redoubtable full-back line assembled under Dessie Dolan, but is named at left wing back tomorrow. And he is there for the long haul.

One of Leitrim's chief problems over the past decade has been the high turnover of players. In a county with a tiny population, that has been fatal to their progress in football.

Fintan McBrien is the longest-

serving panel member. His wife gave birth to their first child on Tuesday. He still made training that evening.

McBrien was spotted by John O'Mahony in the winter of 1995 and promoted from the county under-21 squad to senior training. He got to savour the last of Leitrim's glorious era, playing alongside Mickey Quinn, George Dugdale, Declan Darcy and Aidan Rooney, names that resonate with accomplishment even now.

But by the time McBrien was coming to prominence as a player, that team had essentially disbanded. O'Mahony had delivered and set off to work the oracle elsewhere.

Normal service was resumed and Séamus Bonner and Joe Reynolds had the unenviable task of trying to replicate the 1994 achievement.

Leitrim got to the Connacht final in 2000 and were held down in a poor match by Galway. The final score was 1-13 to 0-8 - it was respectable, but the game held no tension or surprise.

Since then, there have been more lows than highs, but in the past three years they have been a team on the brink of a breakthrough. McBrien has seen more players come and go than he can remember.

It is a recurrent problem in Leitrim. He won a county title with Aughavas seven years ago. Only three of that team still play. Players get fed up.

"It is a fair hike to come to Cloon or Carrick or wherever for lads based in Dublin. That was the problem. There were better players out there not willing to come into the panel. By 1997, the last of that team had left and Séamus Bonner and Joe Reynolds both worked hard to rebuild it. But we weren't showing much promise so lads would come in for a year and then they were gone. I suppose they were questioning what the point was. But that has changed. I know Galway and Mayo are strong, but on a given day I feel any team can beat anyone."

Anticipation is particularly high this weekend. Leitrim were not spectacular in the league, but they were competitive. They came through the dreaded trip to Ruislip with a 1-12 to 2-5 victory over London in a dour match notable for two ferocious tackles on Leitrim's storming wing forward Colin Regan.

"We knew we were heading into a tough match over there," says McKeon. "Traditionally, London regard Leitrim as their best chance of getting a win in Connacht and we were briefed that they had Mickey Harte and Jack O'Connor over for motivational talks and training in the weeks beforehand. They put a lot into it and it wasn't the simple matter of turning up that many people would assume."

It wasn't the most eye-catching hour by Leitrim either, but no matter. Tomorrow, the new stand in Seán McDermott Park will be officially opened, the fruition of many years of unseen work by local GAA people, and although the Carrick-on-Shannon ground was always one of the prettiest in the land, the new facility gives it an added dimension. The hope now is that Leitrim can make it a daunting place for visiting teams.

Certainly, they have come close to one or two major coups, taking Seán Boylan's Meath to extra-time in a riveting qualifier two years ago.

"We like to think we make it tough for teams here," says McKeon. "And Leitrim people are really proud of the work that has gone into the ground. Galway coming to visit makes it a special occasion. I can point to the Meath game and Mayo last year and then we lost to Sligo by a point as well.

"I suppose they are all kind of heartbreak stories or moral victories. But we aren't satisfied with those anymore. We are dedicated to making the breakthrough and we believe it is around the corner."

For McBrien, the impetus of Dessie Dolan's management has kept training fresh for a veteran with 10 years under his belt. Dolan is a purist. If Leitrim win tomorrow, it will be in the old-fashioned way. Leitrim don't go in for the blanket defence or defence-minded full forwards. They play 15 on 15, come what may.

Such idealism is admirable, but given the potential scoring prowess of the Galway forwards, it is also highly risky. Peter Ford's team played Kerry in what was reportedly a bruising challenge last week and put four goals past the All-Ireland champions on their way to a win. Seán Armstrong, dogged by injury last year, was in scintillating form.

"Look, the talent Galway have is no secret," admits McBrien. "Our approach is that we have to play out of our skins and maybe hope that Galway don't quite perform. That doesn't mean we won't be giving it our best shot. We do believe in ourselves.

"We go out to work hard for each other and to play honest, open football. We believe forwards are there to score. That is the Leitrim tradition."