Green shoots but blank start continues for Sligo
Niall Murphy returned to the starting team for Tony McEntee's Sligo but they came up short against Kildare in Markievicz Park last Sunday.
A better display but still no points for Sligo. Tony McEntee expressed satisfaction afterwards about the improvement in performance by his players against what he described as by far the best team in the division, but the Yeats County could only follow their opening round defeat to Offaly with a loss to other Leinster opposition in Kildare, in Markievicz Park, last Sunday.
Sligo were pushing until the last and it was only in the 70th minute that Darragh Kirwan made sure of both points for the Lilywhites when firing home the only goal of the game.
Kildare started the game brightly with a brace of points from Niall Kelly but Sligo soon responded with a point from Alan Reilly off a Cian Lally pass. Indeed the hosts added two more points, including an excellent team effort that Darragh Cummins rounded off having been supplied by Patrick O’Connor.
The first two pointer of the match came on 13 minutes through Darragh Kirwan who in the process regained the lead for the visitors but O’Connor had the sides level for a second time after he received a pass from debutant Ross Doherty who is fresh off his Connacht senior club winning campaign with Coolera-Standhill.
Kildare hit a purple patch for the next 10 minutes as they would dominate all around the field to add four points without reply and lead 0-8 to 0-4 after 24 minutes, with Kirwan and Ryan Sinkey among the scorers.
Sligo needed to come back at their visitors and that’s exactly what they did with three points without reply through Niall Murphy, Darragh Cummins and Patrick O’Connor to reduce the gap to the minimum.
Sinkey added his second of the half after receiving a lovely ball from Callum Bolton but Sligo once again responded as Alan McLoughlin, after a foul on Lally, pointed a free just before the half-time break to leave the scoreboard reading 0-9 to 0-8 in favour of Kildare.
That advantage was stretched out to three upon the restart courtesy of two quick fisted points by Ryan Houihan and Darragh Kirwan and while McLoughlin curled over another Sligo free, the score read 0-13 to 0-9 after 55 minutes as Kildare tagged on another couple of points. But just when it looked as though the game might be getting away from McEntee’s men, they managed to reduce their arrears to a single point when firstly the impressive Cummins kicked his third point of the day and then Murphy landed a two pointer.
The one point margin remained after 62 minutes after a trade of points between Kildare’s Colm Dalton and Sligo goalkeeper Aidan Devaney, from a ’45, but after Sligo failed from three efforts to draw level, including a pair of wides by substitute Pat Spillane, a point from Kirwan on 68 minutes seemed to relieve Kildare of any concern about dropping points.
As Sligo tried to go short from a kickout and searched for Eddie McGuinness, the ball instead fell kindly for Ben McCormack who found the unmarked Kirwan who finished past Devaney.
Dalton added gloss to the scoreline with a point during the final seconds to ensure Kildare came away with the two points.
Sligo’s next test will come against Laois on the weekend after next. The O’Moore side suffered a rare defeat to Offaly last Sunday.
Scorers – Kildare: Darragh Kirwan 1-1-3, Niall Kelly, Ryan Sinkey, Colm Dalton and Alex Beirne 0-0-2 each, Didier Cordonnier (’45), Darragh Swords and Ryan Houlihan 0-0-1 each.
Sligo: Niall Murphy 0-2-2 (2tpf, 2f), Darragh Cummins 0-0-3, Patrick O'Connor and Alan McLoughlin (2f) 0-0-2 each, Alan Reilly and Aidan Devaney (’45) 0-0-1 each.
Sligo: Aidan Devaney; Paul McNamara, Eddie McGuinness, Evan Lyons; Brian Cox, Darragh Cummins, Ross Doherty; Canice Mulligan, Paul Kilcoyne; Cian Lally, Alan McLoughlin, Eoghan Smith; Alan Reilly, Patrick O’Connor, Niall Murphy. Subs: Jack Lavin (for Doherty 49), Pat Spillane (for Smith 56), Luke Towey (for Reilly 62), David Quinn (for Lally 68).
Kildare: Didier Cordonnier; Ryan Burke, Mick O’Grady, Brian Byrne; Ryan Houlihan, James McGrath, David Hyland; Kevin Feely, Callum Bolton; Brian McLoughlin, Alex Beirne, Colm Dalton; Ryan Sinkey, Darragh Kirwan, Niall Kelly. Subs: Darragh Swords (for Sinkey ht), Kevin Flynn (for Burke 47), Aaron Masterson (for Kelly 56), Cathal Hagney (for Beirne 60), Ben McCormack (for McLoughlin 68).
REF: Thomas Murphy (Galway)
