Spillane to the fore as Sligo make light work of London 

BIG IMPACT: Pat Spillane of Sligo shoots to score. Pic: ©INPHO/Juan Gasparini

Connacht Quarter Final 

Sligo 2-20 London 0-12 

Sligo outpowered the home side in this Connacht football quarter-final to ensure that there wouldn’t be a repeat of their defeat in the English capital in 2013.

The visitors always looked in control and netted twice in the second-half through Sean Carrabine and Pat Spillane.

This was the tenth meeting between the sides in championship football.

It was Paul McNamara who got the opening score of the new season but both sides made plenty of mistakes in the early stages. They were level after 13 minutes of play with a super point coming from the boot of Conal Gallagher who cancelled out two early points for Sligo.

Despite the sides being level in the opening quarter, Tony McEntee's team never looked in danger as they would go on to score seven points without reply. Among the scorers were Patrick O’Connor, Luke Towey and Spillane and they led 0-9 to 0-2 after 28 minutes of play.

Michael Clarke did respond with a point from long-range to cut the deficit but Sligo weren’t in a mood to let the home side back into the match. They would respond in expert fashion with the hard-working Nathan Mullen and Cian Lally getting his second of the half to ensure that Sligo were in control as the break approached.

Michael Maher's side did get a free from Christopher Farley but Sligo ensured they led by eight points at the break as their top scorer of 2023, Carrabine, tagged on a free to leave the score at the break 0-12 to 0-4.

London were hoping for a big second-half and they opened the scoring after the restart when Farley tagged on a free. The Sligo team captain tagged on a further two points, one of which came from a place ball, to leave Sligo in front by nine points.

Farley did his best to keep his side in touch with his fourth free of the match but a point from O’Connor was followed by the opening goal of the match on 51 minutes when Carrabine found the back of the net after a great team move.

London did respond well after conceding the goal in scoring four points on the spin and among the scorers were Christopher Duggan and Farley to leave eight between the sides once again.

Any chance of a comeback was put to bed when Sligo got their second goal as substitute Mikey Gordon found Kerry native Spillane who in turn fired the ball to the net.

Sligo managed the game well through the whole second-half and were able to use five substitutes, which showed how they controlled the second 35. London tried hard to get a goal late on but a Liam Gavaghan effort late on was saved expertly by Daniel Lyons.

Sligo will face New York in this year’s semi-final following their win over Leitrim on Saturday night in The Bronx.

Speaking after Saturday’s win Tony McEntee said he was "delighted with the victory and how his side now has gone eight games now without loss".

Scorers for Sligo: P Spillane (1-4); S Carrabine (1-1); P O’Connor (0-3, 1 mark); C Lally (0-3); N Murphy (0-3,1f); L Towey (0-1); N Mullen (0-1); P McNamara (0-1); P Kilcoyne (0-1); D Conlon (0-1); A Reilly (0-1,1f).

Scorers for London: C Farley (0-6,6fs), C Gallagher (0-1), M Clarke (0-1), E Lynn (0-1), L Gavaghan (0-1), C Duggan (0-1), A McLoughlin (0-1). 

Sligo: D Lyons; N Mullen, E McGuinness, E Lyons; L Towey, B Cox, P McNamara; P Kilcoyne, C Lally; K Cawley, S Carrabine, F Cawley; P Spillane, P O’Connor, N Murphy.

Subs: A Reilly for Murphy 47, M Gordon for F Cawley 52, D Conlon for O’Connor 56, G O’Kelly Lynch for K Cawley 63, D Philips for E Lyons 65.

London: N Maher; E Flanagan, M Clarke, N McElwaine; E Walsh, C Gallagher, A McLoughlin; D Clarke, L Gavaghan; C Duggan, E Lynn, S Dornan; C Farley, J Gallagher, L Gallagher.

Subs: R McCarthy for Dornan (HT), R Solan for McElwaine (HT), J Obahor for Clarke 46, N O’Leary for Flanagan 57, R Tohill for Farley 65.

Referee: B Cawley (Kildare).