With both teams starting on the same points as each other, and as the two other teams in the group, it was all to play for in the 2nd round of the All-Ireland championship series at Dr. Hyde Park on Sunday last.
By half time, with both sides finding scores hard to come by – there were
19 wides overall in the first half – Sligo might have felt that they weren’t
out of it when trailing by just two points at the break, 0-8 to 0-6.
It proved to be quite a different story in the second half however as Roscommon
took full advantage of the elements hitting 1-13 to push on for a comfortable ten-point
victory.
A Sligo goal 15 minutes into the second half kept the Yeats County in touch
on the scoreboard but in reality, at pitch level, they were already struggling
to keep a much livelier and determined Roscommon side from exploiting the possession
they were getting with the elements at their back.
Sligo opted to play with the wind in the first half
and quickly found themselves with scoring opportunities but failed to covert
three chances over the early minutes before Diarmuid Murtagh kicked the first point
of the day when he won and converted a free for Roscommon.
Niall Murphy and Sean Carrabine each pointed a free
for Sligo before Cian Smith brought the sides level with a fisted point.
Sligo then had Aidan Devaney in goal to thank for a
smart save to deny Ciaran Murtagh a goal opportunity after a midfield turnover
that was the first of many that Sligo would come to rue as the day went on.
Another Diarmuid Murtagh free followed by Enda
Smith’s first point of the day after a turnover inside the Roscommon 21 put the
home side two up.
Murphy got one back for Sligo with a free but the home
side added two more at the other end with Smith again and Ben O’Carroll putting
Roscommon four up before Carrabine got Sligo’s first from play after 27 minutes.
Their second followed two minutes later from Alan Reilly to bring the margin
back to two.
The first half scoring finished up with an exchange
of points between Roscommon’s Colin Walsh and Reilly again to leave the HT margin
at two 0-8 to 0-6
Sligo brought Pat Spillane and Mark Walsh into the
game at half time with the intent of running at Roscommon but it was the
saffron and blue which started best with points from Enda Smith and Ciarán Murtagh.
Sligo though responded with vigour and had three of
the next four points from Reilly, Carrabine and Nathan Mullen, with Cian McKeon
getting the Roscommon sides point to leave them two ahead eight minutes into
the second half.
Roscommon then struck for three in a row from
McKeon, Ciarán Murtagh and Conor Daly to go five clear and looking well set to push
for home.
Sligo though weren’t reading the script as
Carrabine fielded a long Devaney kick out to release Mark Walsh whose pace cut through
the Roscommon defence to release Reilly in on goal from where found the net
with an emphatic shot to reduce the margin to just two, 15 minutes into the second
half.
It was to be as close as Sligo got, as Roscommon stretched
their Division Ione frame to outscore their opponents 1-7 to 0-2 over the final
25 minutes of play,
That started with points from Diarmuid Murtagh and
Enda Smith who was at the centre of everything good that Roscommon did.
The pressure was building, and the outcome of the game
was firmly cast when Roscommon midfielder Ruane managed to squeeze a bobbling
shot to the net while he was being fouled in the edge of the Sligo square, The
goal put his side seven up with eight minutes remaining and left the visitors
chasing shadows.
There was still time for sub Donie Smith to remind the
Roscommon management that he still has plenty to offer with two points from
play with Diarmuid Murtagh adding his fifth and sixth points, oner a free.
Niall Murphy added two points for Sligo but man of
the match Enda Smith has the last word with his fifth point of the day to close
out the scoring at a 1-21 to 1-22 victory.
Roscommon: C Carroll; C Walsh (0-1), B Stack, D
Murray; N Daly, D Ruane (1-1), E McCormack; E Nolan, E Smith (0-5); C Murtagh (0-2,
1f), C Lennon, C Daly; C McKeon (0-3), B O’Carroll (0-1), D Murtagh 0-6,4f).
Subs: N Kilroy for C Daly (46), D Smith (0-2) for Lennon (48), R Hughes for
McCormack (62), C Hussey for N Daly (64), C Cox for Ruane (66).
Sligo: A Devaney ; E Lyons, E McGuinness, N Mullen
(0-1); P McNamara, B Cox, L Towey; C Lally, P Kilcoyne; F Cawley, S Carrabine (0-3,
1f), A Reilly (1-3); L Nicholson, P O’Connor, N Murphy (0-4, 3f): Subs: P
Spillane for F Cawley (half-time), M Walsh for Nicholson (half-time), M Gordon
for O’Connor (57), K Cawley for Towey (66), D Quinn for Carrabine (69), J Lavin
for Mullen (73)
Referee: C Lane (Cork).