Tourlestrane came from four points down at the interval to grind out a second period. win over St Mary's Kiltoghert and qualify for their first Connacht club Senior football final in 40 years in Avant Money Páírc Seán MacDiarmada on Saturday last.

After dominating the opening half playing with the strong breeze, the Leitrim champions failed to score in the second half while the Sligo side upped the intensity of their game and took the chances offered them, growing in confidence as the game progressed.

St Mary's will have regrets about Brian Farrell's late goal effort - with two points between the teams, the Leitrim champions worked the ball into a good position, but a flying block prevented Farrell's shot from finding the net.

Those missed chance weren't Carrick's only opportunities with Paul Keaney leaving two long range placed balls short of the posts into the strong wind but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that St Mary's needed a greater lead than the 0-6 to 0-2 advantage they held at halftime.

Although James Leonard opened the scoring for Tourlestrane with a point inside the opening minute, the first half was all about the Leitrim champions as St. Mary's looked in a different class to Tourlestrane. Their running, passing and tackling were of the highest order and the four-point lead was scarcely reflective of their dominance.

They had their first score from a ’45 after two minutes when centre forward Paul Keaney converted after a Jack Casey shot took a touch on its way out.

A foul on Daire Farrell allowed Keaney to score a wonderful point from the 14 yard line in the left corner on eight minutes and three minutes later, clever play released the Mary's talisman down the wing and he fired a brilliant 40 yard effort over the bar.

Shortly after,  Paul Keaney turned provider to set up Mark Diffley for a superb point to stretch the lead to three points.

Cian Singleton stretched the lead to four with a fine point on 26 minutes before

Diarmuid Kelleher fired over in added time to seemingly leave the home side with a five point advantage going in to the break

John Francis Carr's point for Tourlestrane in added time before the break however became a huge score at it punctured St Mary's momentum and sent Tourlestrane into the break with a belief that they could haul in the home side after the break.

That sense that the opportunity was there for the Sligo was added to with two points inside the first five minutes of the second half, the first from Kenny Gavigan and the second a Liam Gaughan free after a foul on his brother Gary.

However, their fifth point of the game didn’t come for another 16 minutes as the deteriorating conditions and the Carrick side’s dogged resistance told in as the conditions worsened.

The game however was being played almost exclusively in the St Mary’s half and the pressure eventually told when Liam Gaughan converted a 21st minute free that had been moved in for dissent.

Three minutes later, brother Gary got his fist a ball dropping over the bar to level affairs and a  minute later again, the Sligo side took the lead when Liam Gaughan pointed after a St Mary’s ball was turned over in the middle of the field side in front.

St Mary's got a boost when a black card  for Tourlestrane centre back Adrian McIntyre  reduced them to 14 men  for the final minutes but the Sligo side actually went further ahead when sub Rian Kennedy put his side two clear after a Cian Surlis shot came back off the posts.

Try as they might St Marys couldn’t work the opening they needed for a goal and after four minutes of added time it was the Sligo champions who progressed to the Connacht Final.

ST MARY'S KILTOGHERT; Sean Reynolds; Conor Farrell, Mark Diffley (0-1), Nicholas McWeeney, Diarmuid Kelleher (0-1), Adam Reynolds, Paul Keaney (0-3, 1f, 1 50), Gavin Reynolds, James McGrail; Daire Farrell, Cian Singleton(0-1), Oisin Bohan, Jack Casey, Conor Hackett, David O'Connell. Subs: Jack Barnes for Hackett (44); Brian Farrell for Casey (58)

TOURLESTRANE; Adam Broe, JP Lang, John Francis Carr (0-1), Barry Walsh, Oisin Kennedy, Adrian McIntyrne, Kevin O'Hara, Aidan Marren, Conan Marren, Kenny Gavigan (0-1), Cathal Henry, James Leonard (0-1), Gary Gaughan (0-1), John Kelly, Liam Gaughan (0-3, 2f). Subs: Feidlhlin O'Donnell for O'Hara (12); Rian Kennedy (0-1)  for A Marren (43); Niall Egan for Kelly (53); Cian Surlis for Lang (58); Stephen Henry for Leonard (64)

Referee: Liam Devaney (Mayo).