Former Kerry boss Eamonn Fitzmaurice says he “would worry for” Sligo over the next few weeks as they enter into the newly formatted Sam Maguire Cup race.

The Yeats men are the only Division 4 side left in the All-Ireland SFC and, after reaching the Connacht final where they went down by 14 points to Galway, they are now in a group with Kildare, Dublin and Roscommon.

Speaking on the RTE GAA podcast ahead of this weekend’s first round clashes, which sees Sligo hosting Kildare on Sunday, Fitzmaurice says Tony McEntee’s men face “a big ask” to progress through the group stages.

"It’s an opportunity for Sligo, 100%, and it’s great that they are there," he said.

"In fairness to Tony McEntee, he was very open after that Connacht final, that their target is to win one game in this group and prolong their season, but I would worry for them to be honest.

"They have a lot of good players, and a lot of good players coming through from that Under-20 team as well, but it’s a different level at this stage.

"Coming from Division 4, trying to beat teams that are so far ahead of you in the league rankings, it’s a big ask."

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