Tribesmen slip out of Sligo’s grip

IT was a weekend of trials and tribulations for the Old Firm of Connacht football yet at the close of business in Pearse Stadium yesterday, Galway were still just about standing.

After Mayo’s qualifier horror on Saturday night, Galway entered yesterday’s Connacht SFC semi-final wary of the potential pitfall that existed against a vastly improved Sligo.

But possession of that knowledge did not seem to aid their cause and for long stretches they were on the cusp of a tame provincial exit. An insipid first-half display preceded mild improvements in the second-half and when Sligo’s electrifying corner-forward David Kelly popped over a 70th minute point, it looked like the score that copperfastened a famous triumph as they led 1-10 to 0-8 with the clocking ticking down.