Connacht SFC Roscommon 1-13 Leitrim 0-11: A GOAL by full-forward Donie Shine eight minutes into the second half propelled Roscommon to their first Connacht final for six years as the home team overcame Leitrim by five points at Hyde Park.
The glorious sunshine and the intense rivalry between the counties attracted 11,924 fans who were treated to a sporadically entertaining but frequently error-ridden match.
After a lacklustre opening 25 minutes, Roscommon improved noticeably before half-time and pulled away in the second half to set up a final meeting with either Galway or Sligo.
In contrast Leitrim wilted in the energy-sapping conditions following a purposeful first-half performance.
The visitors finished with 14 men when midfielder Tomás Beirne was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 69th minute.
The experience provided by man-of-the-match David Casey, Karol Mannion, Seán Purcell, Cathal Cregg and John Rogers proved crucial in the second half. Captain Peter Domican and David Keenan were also outstanding for Roscommon while the talented Shine finished with a personal tally of 1-7.
Leitrim, who retired the number 10 jersey in memory of the late Philip McGuinness who passed away in tragic circumstances earlier this year, began with verve and assurance against a hesitant home team.
Shane Foley opened the scoring with a point from a free in the second minute and Shine replied for Roscommon from a close-range free two minutes later.
This set the pattern for the rest of the half.
Mickey Moran’s team, who were dominating breaking ball, opened up a two-point gap by the 16th minute with scores from James Glancy and Foley who kicked his only point from play following a swift break involving Ray Cox and David O’Connor.
Shine responded with two points from frees before Foley restored Leitrim’s lead after 21 minutes. David O’Connor doubled the lead five minutes later.
Ger Heneghan sparked Roscommon into life with his team’s first score from play in the 28th minute and they hit the front with further points from Shine in the 30th and 32nd minutes.
Foley equalised and wing-back James Glancy sent Leitrim in leading at half-time with a punched point after captain John McKeon pounced on a mistake in the Roscommon defence.
On the stroke of half-time Rogers should have goaled but he shot into the side-netting from close range after being forced to the left of goal by Enda Lyons.
Roscommon took command of proceedings in the second half. Points from Cregg and Mannion put them ahead and the gamebreaking score came after 43 minutes when Mannion drove a high ball to Shine who turned and slid a low shot beyond Lyons inside the left post.
In 51st minute Foley converted a close-range free for Leitrim’s first score of the second half but after a superb block by Domican denied Shane Canning a goal they scored just twice more courtesy of two pointed frees from Foley.
Roscommon closed out the match efficiently enough with points from Casey, Cregg, Shine and Rogers.
Afterwards Roscommon manager Fergal O’Donnell said it was “an unbelievable feeling to have reached a Connacht final”.
“At least we’re in a Connacht final and that’s progress. We’ve worked very hard for two years and it’s been extremely difficult for the management team and myself.
“The games in the league came up very fast but now we have four weeks to prepare for a provincial final and we have every chance.”
Leitrim selector Martin McGowan said Leitrim gave away too many frees.
“You can’t do that with a class free-taker like Donie Shine around. We lost our way for 15 or 20 minutes in the second half and we didn’t capitalise on the chances we created.
“We didn’t attack the game in the second half but now we have to knuckle down and attack the qualifiers.”
ROSCOMMON:G Claffey; S McDermott, P Domican, S Ormsby; S Purcell, C Dineen, D Casey (0-1); M Finneran, K Mannion (0-1); D Keenan, P Garvey, C Cregg (0-2); J Rogers (0-1), D Shine (1-7, seven frees), G Heneghan (0-1). Subs:D O'Gara for Garvey (43 mins), K Higgins for Rogers (67 mins).
LEITRIM:E Lyons; D Beck, J McKeon, D Reynolds (St Mary's); J Glancy (St Mary's) (0-1), S Foley, W McKeon; T Beirne, S Canning; C Clarke, D O'Connor (0-1), M Foley (0-8, seven frees); R Cox, J Glancy (Glencar/Manorhamilton) (0-1), R Mulvey. Subs:D Reynolds (Annaduff) for Beck (21 mins), K Conlon for Cox (47 mins), G Reynolds for J Glancy (St Mary's) (48 mins), B Prior for Foley (55 mins), D Maxwell for Conlon (59 mins).
Referee:J McQuillan (Cavan).
