Roscommon ease to impressive win over Sligo

Enda Smith was the star man at Dr Hyde Park. 

Alan Reilly of Sligo under pressure from Cian McKeon of Roscommon. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Roscommon 1-21 Sligo 1-11 

A devastating second-half display saw Roscommon cruise to a ten-point win over their Connacht neighbours Sligo in front of a 5,773 crowd at Dr Hyde Park.

Man-of-the-match Enda Smith was superb throughout, kicking five points in total. It means Roscommon are still in the hunt for top spot in Group 3.

Despite playing with a stiff breeze, it took Sligo 27 minutes to score from play. They kicked 10 first-half wides and were reliant on frees from Niall Murphy and a long-range Seán Carrabine strike off the ground early on.

Diarmuid Murtagh ended up with six points and kicked the first of the day when he drove hard, won a free and slotted it to put an end to a string of five wides at either end.

Roscommon's best opportunities came from high turnovers. Ciaráin Murtagh met Luke Towey in front of the terrace and executed a textbook tackle. A long ball in found Ben O’Carroll and Murtagh followed up off his shoulder. However, his goal-bound effort was straight at Aidan Devaney.

Smith then clipped a pair of fine scores and Cian McKeon got in on the act before Diarmuid Murtagh pushed the home team three clear with a brilliant block on Finnian Cawley in the middle. They broke with pace and Murtagh linked up with his brother before blazing a shot over.

Carrabine and Alan Reilly continued to poke holes in what was an otherwise blunt attack. It was the centre-forward’s left-footed curler that delivered Sligo’s first score from play. Reilly, one of two late changes, closed the gap further before the break. Reilly started in place of Keelan Cawley while Pat Spillane made way for Luke Nicholson. The margin at half-time was 0-8 to 0-6.

Tony McEntee brought on Spillane and Mark Walsh in place of Finnian Cawley and Nicholson. It did not have the desired effect as Spillane was turned over for the opening point of the half. A Smith one-two with David Murray saw the Boyle man kick his third.

Niall Daly burst forward and sent in a splendid dart to McKeon before Dylan Ruane pushed them five in front with a drive down the middle channel, right-footed solo and left-footed finish.

The game’s opening goal came from a Devaney booming kickout. The Sligo shot-stopper looked frustrated at a lack of options, shrugged and sent it long. Carrabine claimed the break and from there they were away. A sweeping move ended with a Reilly first-time boot into the near corner.

The class of Smith settled Davy Burke’s outfit. He collected a Conor Carroll handpass inside the attacking third and cut in from the sideline to snap over a corker. He rose high to break the resulting kickout and that move ended in a 45. Once more, Roscommon’s lack of a placed ball specialist cost them as a tame Eddie Nolan effort failed to reach the posts.

It wouldn’t be an issue on Sunday. Shortly after a Smith sideline was worked across to Ruane who cut through the heart of Sligo’s rear-guard. He was fouled in the process of shooting, but the ball still bobbled past Devaney.

Burke’s side march on, with his native Kildare the only obstacle in the way of a quarter-final spot.

Scorers for Roscommon: Diarmuid Murtagh 0-6 (4 frees), Dylan Ruane 1-1, Enda Smith 0-5, Cian McKeon 0-3, Ciaráin Murtagh 0-2 (1 free), Donie Smith 0-2, Ben O’Carroll 0-1, Colin Walsh 0-1.

Scorers for Sligo: Alan Reilly 1-3, Niall Murphy 0-4 (3 frees), Seán Carrabine 0-3 (1 free), Nathan Mullen 0-1.

Roscommon: C Carroll; C Walsh, B Stack, D Murray; N Daly, E McCormack, C Daly; E Nolan, E Smith; C Murtagh, C McKeon, D Ruane; C Lennon, B O’Carroll, D Murtagh.

Subs: N Kilroy for C Daly (45), D Smith for Lennon (48), R Hughes for McCormack (62), C Hussey for Daly (64), C Cox for Ruane (66)

Sligo: A Devaney; E Lyons, E McGuinness, N Mullen; P McNamara, B Cox, L Towey; C Lally, P Kilcoyne; F Cawley, S Carrabine, L Nicholson; A Reilly, P O’Connor, N Murphy.

Subs: P Spillane for Cawley (half-time), M Walsh for Nicholson (half-time), M Gordon for O’Connor (57), K Cawley for Towey (66), D Quinn for Carrabine (69), J Lavin for Mullin (70 – temp) 

Referee: C Lane (Cork)