Sligo senior hurlers journey for 2021 is over and like their
U20 colleagues it was Derry who finished their run. Having to start without the
suspended Weir and Munnelly and travelling to Owenbeg (very impressive facility)
made a successful outcome more difficult but one thing that can be truly said
about this group is they never back down, accept the norm and fight for their
team will the final whistle.
There was times in this game where it did appear the game
was getting away from them, the middle third of the first half and second, but
on both occasions they took back the initiative and brought themselves back
into the game. In the end the Derry range of scorers and their ability to catch
all types of high ball proved the difference.
Sligo were out of the blocks with young Thomas Cawley
scoring from out on the wing in the first attack of the game. Gerard Bradley
responded but on the rock hard ground the deft skills of Joe McHugh were on
show with a lovely pickup and on the run score going across the field. Derry
took the lead with two points from play from u20 star Eoghan Cassidy and Sé McGuigan.
In the 6th minute Tony O’Kelly Lynch went on a run leaving 3 Derry
lads behind him, did the Kyle Hayes bounce before handpassing to brother Gerard
who slipped one tackle and drove to the roof of the net. It appeared to rouse
Derry who went on to score the next 7 points and kept Sligo scoreless for 15
minutes. The Derry forward line was causing havoc with their catching, first
touch and to take a score with John and Richie Mullan, Cormac O’Doherty (who
was flawless from frees all day) , Brian Cahill and McGuigan.
Joe McHugh setup the onrushing Andy Kilcullen to score from
45 metres. Gerard O added a free but there was further scores from Bradley, O’Doherty,
Foley and McCloskey. Andy Kilcullen returned the favour for Joe McHugh. Conor
Hanniffy scored two good efforts for Sligo to narrow the lead to 4 but again
Bradley was on hand to to extend the lead out to 6 at half time 0-16 v 1-7.
Kevin Banks and Rory McHugh began to read the Derry attacks and they along with
the hard running of Tony O were big elements in Sligo getting back into it.
Derry got the start to the second half Sligo wanted with 3
points with two from play by Odhran McKeever. Sligo cancelled it out in a move
with strong running, support play and quick hands which finished with Joe
McHugh driving past the keeper. Banks, Kilcullen, Rory McHugh and Tony O were
all involved in the move. O’Doherty responded for Derry but two Gerard O frees
brough the gap down to 5. O’Doherty, Brian Cassidy and Bradley pushed the lead
out but Derry did have a lucky escape when a Thomas Cawley point attempt (think
of the county final winning score) was tapped down by O’Doherty but Eoin
Comerford beat him to the rebound that just scraped the crossbar. The lead at
the water break was 7.
O’Doherty was keeping Derry at arms length but Sligo kept at
their task. In the 56th minute Joe McHugh from a tight angle hit the
side netting after good work from T Cawley and Banks. The 59th
minute saw Cawley gain possession, turn and head for goal. He was pulled down
on the 20m line inside the D and no cover inside but for the second time in the
game he was done out of a possible penalty. Gerard O went for the goal with 6
on the line but it was stopped but in the next play a good interception by Rory
McHugh was moved on by Kevin Banks to Gerard who drove it over from 65m. Rory
McHugh was to follow it up and his brother Joe after a good run by Mark
Hanniffy brought it back to 3 in the 66th minute. Derry closed the
game out with 2 O’Doherty frees and a Bradley point from play. Liam O’Kelly
Lynch who had come on for the exhausted Thomas Cawley got his first senior
championship point to bring it back to 5. A long ball into the other Derry u20
star Shéa Cassidy was plucked from the clouds and he was fouled. The puckout from
the successful free was worked up the field and Joe McHugh was again in on goal
from the stand side at a tight angle. His effort beat the keeper but bounced
off the crossbar and over for the final score of the game.
Sligo end the year at division 3 champions, have their first
Christy Ring win and membership of the same competition for 2022. A bright
future for this young squad looks inevitable and the experience from this years
exertions can only benefit all in the long run.
Scorers:
Sligo – Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch 1-6 (5f), Joe McHugh 1-4, Conor
Hanniffy 0-2, Thomas Cawley, Andy Kilcullen, Eoin Comerford, Rory McHugh, Liam
O’Kelly Lynch 0-1 each
Derry – Cormac O’Doherty 0-12(11f), Gerard Bradley 0-5, Sé
McGuigan, Brian Cassidy, Odhran McKeever 0-2 each, Eoghan Cassidy, John Mullan,
Richie Mullan, Deaghlan Foley, Darragh McCloskey 0-1 each
Sligo : - Stephen Fleming, Kevin O’Kennedy, Niall Feehily,
Niall Kilcullen, Kevin Banks, Rory McHugh, Gavin Connolly, Mark Hanniffy, Tony
O’Kelly-Lynch, Conor Hanniffy, Joe McHugh, Finnian Cawley, Thomas Cawley,
Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch, Andy Kilcullen
Subs – Eoin Comerford for Connolly, Liam O’Kelly Lynch for
Thomas Cawley,