London let loose on shell-shocked Yeats boys
London’s hurlers look within striking distance of securing a first Christy Ring Cup final appearance since 2018 and that they can contemplate such a scenario is down to a blistering second-half display last Saturday, which undid all of Sligo’s good first-half work.
The visitors had shown no little ability to prevent an out-of-sorts London from taking advantage of first use of a strong wind. The Exiles had to settle for a 0-9 apiece scoreline and yet within ten minutes of the restart this round two it was all over bar the shouting.
Jack Goulding had the ball in the back of the Sligo net within 17 seconds of the resumption, and further goals from Goulding and Sean Glynn propelled London into a commanding 3-13 to 0-10 lead.
There was no way back for Sligo from there. Glynn’s second major in added time was the icing on the cake.
Goulding (two frees) and Ronan Crowley had fired London into an early 0-3 to no score lead, but a fine Gerard O’Kelly Lynch free from close to halfway signalled that Sligo had arrived with few ill-effects from their 11-point defeat to Kildare.
Conor Hanniffy and Goulding traded scores before only an excellent block by Padraig Muldoon prevented Thomas Cawley’s stinging shot from testing London ‘keeper Tommy Wallace.
Cawley finished a good Sligo breakout move, started by Luke Comerford, to reduce the gap to a point, with the visitors looking the more fluid in possession.
It came as no surprise when Michael Munnelly and Joe McHugh edged them into the lead. A Goulding free immediately had the Exiles back on level terms, only for the accurate O’Kelly Lynch to once again nudge Stephen Sheil’s side back in front.
Sligo defenders Kevin O’Kennedy, Gavin Connolly and Darragh Cawley, protected by the sweeping Eddie O’Donoghue, were looking far too comfortable and assured for London’s liking. Despite that, the Exiles hit a mini purple patch to claim three of the next four points to lead 0-8 to 0-7, but hopes of a rousing end to the half went unrealised as Sligo refused to allow London to get away from them.
The better goal chances had gone Sligo’s way but their latest saw O’Kelly Lynch’s flick easily batted away by Wallace.
O’Kelly Lynch’s 32nd minute free did, however, ensure the sides went in level at the break.
Sligo’s would have been the far happier dressing room during the interval but whatever was said in London’s clearly had the desired effect as within 17 seconds of the resumption Goulding’s low shot skipped off the turf and beat the dive of Comerford.
Robbie Murphy added a point, but only after Sligo had crucially hit three consecutive wides. They paid for that when Sean O’Meara picked out Glynn, and he sent a screamer flying past Comerford.
The home side were now firmly the ascendancy and three Jack Goulding points, including two frees, cancelled out Munnelly’s strike to get Sligo up and running.
In the 45th minute London effectively ended this tie as a contest with goal number three. Owen Sheil and Glynn were involved before the ball found its way through to Goulding, and he flicked it past Comerford.
That made it 3-4 to 0-1 in London’s favour since the start of the second-half and there was no way back for a shellshocked Sligo.
