Sligo win see-saw encounter

Sligo 1-14 Galway 0-16

Sligo held their nerve to overcome Galway in a titanic replay at Markievicz Park this evening, setting up a Connacht final against Roscommon on July 18.

Paul Conroy nudged Galway two points ahead in the closing stages, but last-gasp scores from Kenneth Sweeney, Mark Breheny and Colm McGee shot the Yeats men through.

Top scorer Padraic Joyce (0-5) helped Galway lead by 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time in wet and windy conditions.

But David Kelly (1-2) punished a Garrett Bradshaw error for the only goal and Sligo came good in the end to register their first Championship win over Galway at this venue since 1975.

Incredibly, the result means that the upcoming final will be the first Connacht decider to not contain either of the 'big two', Galway and Mayo, since Roscommon beat Sligo for the title back in 1947.

After wins over Mayo and Galway, Sligo's class of 2010 will be heavily favoured to finish the job and lift the Nestor Cup in manager Kevin Walsh's second year at the helm.

Walsh had named an unchanged team in midweek, keeping faith with the side that drew 1-10 to 1-10 with the Tribesmen in Salthill, but a late injury to midfielder Tony Taylor saw Eugene Mullen start in his place.

The Sligo attack was also altered before the throw-in, Sweeney and McGee making way for Adrian Marren and Stephen Coen.

Galway lined out as selected, meaning a recall at corner forward for fit-again captain Michael Meehan.

Alan Costello bent a point over into the stiff wind, after just 36 seconds, to get Sligo off to a swift start. Joyce, the inspiration for Galway's second half comeback last weekend, levelled with a third minute free.

But Sligo looked the more threatening and Coen's rising shot, which cannoned back off the crossbar, could easily have resulted in the game's first goal.

As it was, the ball broke for Marren to clip over a point and Keelan Cawley was able to fist over for the hosts' third, latching onto a low slung free from Marren.

Galway operated with a two-man full-forward line of Meehan and Joyce, with Joe Bergin stationed in midfield as the main ball winner. Sligo showed their intent by pushing Eamonn O'Hara in at right half-forward where he was marked by Bradshaw.

Joe Kernan's side had the game squared up by the seventh minute, the elusive Matthew Clancy and Eoin Concannon adding points from play. They tightened their grip on centre-field, giving their forwards the time and space to kick a succession of scores - five in all.

With the elements favouring them, the Tribesmen really went at it and Joyce, Clancy, Sean Armstrong and Meehan all found the target during a productive spell. Sligo's only response was from Marren as, by the half-hour mark, they were left trailing by 0-8 to 0-4.

Ending the home side's 17-minute scoreless run, Breheny slotted over following a free-flowing move involving Coen and Kelly, and the latter opened his scoring account just before the interval to whittle Galway's lead down to two points.

On general play, Galway had done enough to be further ahead and they immediately got back on the attack as the second half resumed, Joyce setting up Bergin for a fisted effort.

But, three minutes in, Sligo were gifted a priceless goal. Bradshaw had a nightmare moment when he tried to kick a sideline ball back to goalkeeper Adrian Faherty.

Kelly, like any top level goal poacher, was well placed to intercept and fire home his second goal in as many Championship games.

Galway showed great resolve to respond with three successive points, Bradshaw setting up a free for Armstrong who pointed again shortly afterwards and wing back Garry O'Donnell also swept a shot over from the right.

This was now a huge test for Sligo and they showed their class as Breheny drilled a free over and Kelly, darting onto a Marren delivery, outfoxed the Galway defence for an inspirational point from play.

The second period continued to ebb and flow, Joyce boosting Galway with a quality score from 35 metres out. The Killererin clubman was taking on more responsibility, after a leg injury forced Meehan out of the game.

By the midpoint of the half, a Marren free had cut the gap to a single point - 0-13 to 1-9 - and the same player then won a free which Breheny converted to produce huge roars from the Sligo faithful. Level pegging and all to play for.

With the wind causing problems for both sides and the tension mounting, Armstrong miscued a free and Sligo were beginning to dominate territorially against a tigerish Galway defence.

With five minutes left on the clock, former captain Joyce showed his leadership qualities once again as he popped over a rousing score, and then turned provider as he laid off for Armstrong to land his fourth point from an acute angle.

It was real end-to-end, helter skelter Championship action as Sligo raided forward and McGee, on as a substitute, split the posts under all sorts of pressure.

Scores were at a premium and when another new man in, Conroy, threaded the ball through the posts in outstanding fashion for what looked like the match-winning score - the difference was back to two.

However, Walsh's charges dug deep to engineer the sort of finish that would have got them over the finish line six days ago.

Sweeney and the excellent Breheny brought the home side level as the game ticked into injury-time, and it was left to McGee to plunder the winner, which had a good deal of controversy attached to it as the Galway players felt the wind had taken the ball to the right and wide.

The score stood and there was no stopping Sligo this time.

Scorers: Sligo: D Kelly 1-2, M Breheny 0-4 (0-2f), A Marren 0-3 (0-1f), C McGee 0-2, K Cawley, A Costello, K Sweeney 0-1 each

Galway: P Joyce 0-5 (0-3f), S Armstrong 0-4 (0-2f), M Clancy 0-2, G O'Donnell, J Bergin, M Meehan (0-1 '45'), E Concannon, P Conroy 0-1 each

SLIGO: P Greene; C Harrison, N McGuire, R Donavan; K Cawley, B Phillips, J Davey; E Mullen, S Gilmartin; E O'Hara, M Breheny, A Costello; S Coen, A Marren, D Kelly.

Subs used: C McGee for Coen (55 mins), S Davey for Costello (60), K Sweeney for O'Hara (66), F Quinn for Marren (70)

GALWAY: A Faherty; A Burke, F Hanley, K Fitzgerald; G Bradshaw, D Blake, G O'Donnell; J Bergin, N Coleman; G Sice, S Armstrong, M Clancy; M Meehan, P Joyce, E Concannon.

Subs used: P Conroy for Meehan (36 mins), D Reilly for Hanley (47)

Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois)