Both sides reduced to 14 as Sligo have six points to spare over Leitrim

Barring successful appeals, both players would miss next month's Connacht GAA Senior Football Championship – Sligo are in New York with Leitrim heading to London

Sun, 27 Mar, 2022 - 16:15

Liam Maloney, Markievicz Park

Sligo 2-16, Leitrim 2-10

A brace of first-half goals from full-forward Patrick O'Connor helped Sligo to a merited six-point defeat of Connacht neighbours Leitrim, 2-16 to 2-10, at Markievicz Park in what was a dead rubber following the previous day's results.

Red cards for Letrim's attacking talisman Keith Beirne, who was sent off after 26 minutes, and Sligo midfield dynamo Sean Carrabine, dismissed in the 40th minute, were the game's main talking points.

Barring successful appeals, both players would miss next month's Connacht GAA Senior Football Championship – Sligo are in New York with Leitrim heading to London.

Beirne's sending off was a pivotal moment for Leitrim, who cancelled out Patrick O'Connor's two goals for Sligo with goals from Jack Heslin and Keith Beirne – all four goals came in the opening 14 minutes.

The remainder of the opening period was tit-for-tat, with Sligo up by a point at half-time, 2-6 to 2-5.

Sligo's greater firepower made the difference in the second-half, even with Carrabine going off and Niall Murphy being absent for the second successive fixture.

Leitrim were hampered by substitute Ciaran Cullen's 49th minute black card and a potential lifeline was denied in the last minute when Evan Sweeney's goalbound shot was kept out by Sligo goalkeeper Eamonn Kilgannon.

Scorers-

Sligo: Patrick O'Connor (2-1, 1 'mark'), Sean Carrabine (0-4, 3f), Nathan Rooney (0-2), Alan Reilly (0-2, 1f), David Quinn (0-2), Brian Egan (0-1, 1 '45'), Evan Lyons (0-1), Keelan Cawley (0-1), Conan Marren (0-1), Conor Griffin (0-1)

Leitrim: Keith Beirne (1-2, 1f), Jack Heslin (1-1), Ryan O'Rourke (0-2), Emlyn Mulligan (0-2, 1f), Shane Moran (0-1), Ciaran Cullen (0-1), Donal Casey (0-1)

Sligo: E Kilgannon, D Phillips, E Lyons, P McNamara, N Mullen, D Cummins, P Kilcoyne, S Carrabine, P Laffey, K Cawley, C Marren, D Quinn, B Egan, P O’Connor, A Reilly

Subs: N Rooney for B Egan, h-t; C Griffin for C Marren, 47; L Towey for N Mullen, 63; R Connolly for P Laffey, 63; G Gorman for P O’Connor, 68

Leitrim: D Maxwell, M Diffley, D Casey, C Reynolds, P Maguire, D Bruen, J Heslin, P Dolan, D Wrynn, R O’Rourke, K Beirne, M Plunkett, R O’Rourke, C Cullen, D Flynn

Subs: B Flynn for D Maxwell, h-t; C Cullen for J Heslin, 44; E Sweeney for R O’Rourke, 46; E Mulligan for C Cullen, 46; S Moran for M Diffley, 63

Referee: Seamus Mulhare (Laois).