Donegal 1-16 Sligo 0-15.
Sligo’s senior hurlers left Letterkenny
empty handed on Saturday afternoon last in a game where there were never out of
touch but equally never looked like winning as they failed to turn possession
and opportunities into scores.
After a poor start, the Yeats county came
right back into the game in the middle of the opening half and were the dominant
side in the last quarter. This was ultimately though a story of accuracy and the
visitors will be very disappointed at a having a total of 16 wides, almost half
of those from placed balls.
By contrast Donegal’s Declan Coulter
converted eight frees which proved ultimately to be the difference between the
sides,
Sligo started with a much changed
team from the one which finished the 2022 campaign as league runners up and the
early signs were ominous as Donegal had three points without reply in the opening
five minutes and led by four - 0-5 to 0-1 - on ten minutes. As the half wore on
Sligo turned things their way and the sides were level on six points each by
the 25th minute.
Donegal however finished the first
half the stronger aided by a somewhat fortunate goal when a long range shot
from Gerry Gilmore deceived the Sligo defence to give his side a four-point advantage
0-9 to 0-8 at the break.
A Gilmore strike from long-range
dropped past a helpless Luke Comerford, the Sligo goalkeeper. There were
suggestions that the lurking Ruairi Campbell may have helped it on its way, but
the goal was credited to Gilmore.
Donegal, with Coulter and Ruairí Campbell
to the fore stretched that lead in the early part of the second half but Sligo were
gradually being the dominant force, led by substitute Diarmuid Hanniffy - who
ended up with five points.
Over the last 15 minutes Sligo were
winning in every line of the p[itch and with points from Diarmuid and Conor Hanniffy,
Niall Kilcullen and Joe McHugh they had had the deficit back to two points as
time ran out. Coulter’s free taking kept Donegal ahead and he converted two in
the five minutes of added time to seal a narrowly deserved victory with Sligo having
no-one to blame but themselves.
Donegal - D Lafferty; S McBride, S Gillespie, M Donoghue;
B McIntyre, J O’Loughlin, C McDermott; D Coulter (0-8f), D Cullen; L McKinney (0-2
1f), R Ryan, G Gilmore (1-1); C Gartland, D O’Maoiléidigh (0-2), R Campbell
(0-3).
Subs: G Browne for O’Loughlin and S Ward for Ryan (45),
R Hilferty for McIntyre (47), O Marley for Gilmore (58), D Harvey for
O’Maoileidigh (66)
Sligo - L Comerford; D Cawley, J Weir, K O'Kennedy; R
Brennan, R McHugh, D Hanley; N Kilcullen, F Connolly (0-1); C Hannify, E
O’Donoghue (0-1), T Cawley (0-2); L O’Kelly Lynch, A Kilcullen (0-5, 1f), J
McHugh (0-1), Subs: D Hannify (0-5, 1f) for O’Kelly Lynch (21), N Feehily for
Hanley (31), G Connolly for Brennan (35), C Flynn for O’Donoghue (42)
Referee: T Conway (Derry)