Sligo 2-13, Leitrim 2-4 The odds against youthful Leitrim returning to the Connacht football final had shortened dramatically by half-time at wet and windy Markievicz Park yesterday.
They had held strong favourites Sligo - now back in the provincial decider after a five-year lapse - to level scores with the advantage of a strong wind to follow in the second half.
"Ten minutes of madness" was how young Leitrim manager Declan Rowley described the period in the third quarter when Leitrim lost all the control they had enjoyed in the first half.
In addition, Leitrim's inspirational full back and captain, Adrian Charles, was red-carded by Westmeath referee Pat Fox six minutes into the second half.
The referee was advised by an umpire of an off-the-ball incident and Fox promptly gave Charles the line.
Sligo manager Peter Forde did not think the incident was the turning-point. "We had taken over anyway at that stage and were getting a lot more movement going towards their posts."
Rowley had warned his players not to lose control. "I told my players at half-time that the first 10 minutes of the second half was going to be vital," he said.
Leitrim simply couldn't afford to be down to 14 players in a match of this calibre.
They showed scope for improvement in the first half and Séamus Quinn, one of three survivors of the historic Connacht champion side of 1995, shot a great goal after eight minutes, finishing off a deftly-placed diagonal kick from Fintan McBrien.
But, in truth, the challengers were repeatedly let off the hook by Sligo's inept attempts to score points in the first half. Forde admitted that he was extremely worried over his team's wayward tally of 13 first-half wides.
"If we play like that in the final against Galway we will have no chance of beating a side that is arguably the best in the country," said Forde.
Sligo's overall performance was aptly described by a disillusioned local radio man as a Jekyll and Hyde show.
One aspect. though. that pleased Sligo supporters in the 10,000 crowd was the authority asserted by substitute Dara McGarty, who lifted spirits in the home camp with two splendid points.
McGarty's scores were part of an unanswered third quarter 1-10 that buried Leitrim's hopes.
Leitrim had failed to score from the 18th minute of the first half and trailed by 2-12 to 1-2 when McBrien sent an unstoppable penalty shot to the net four minutes short of normal time. Too little, too late.
Leitrim managed only one score from play - that early goal by Quinn, but the team as a whole seemed capable of better things in the first half.
"I suppose it is down to experience," said Rowley .
Sligo, for their part did well to overcome the frustrations they endured in the first half, a goal and two points down despite playing with the wind, they had to wait until the 20th minute to open their account.
They knew exactly how to apply themselves in the second half and, significantly, cut their wides margin down to a very respectable two.
The front-running tactics of an alert full-back line in Mark Cosgrove Pat Naughton and Brendan Phillips was always reassuring.
Eamonn O'Hara and Paul Durkin never had it their own way against Shane Canning and Gary McCloskey in midfield, but Mark Brehony, Gerry McGowan, Tommy Brennan and Dessie Sloyan were obviously Sligo's key forwards.
From the moment Charles went for an early shower, the Leitrim defence looked vulnerable in the extreme and many in the crowd headed towards the gates long before the end.
SLIGO: 1 J Curran; 2 M Cosgrove, 3 P Naughton, 4 B Phillips; 5 P Doohan, 6 M Langan, 7 K O'Neill; 8 E O'Hara, 9 P Durkin; 10 M Brehony, 11 B Walsh, 12 S Davey; 13 T Brennan, 14 D Sloyan, 15 G McGowan. Subs: D McGarty for Davey (32 mins); D Durkin for K O'Neill (33); N McGuire for Phillips (63); K Quinn for P Durkin (64); M McNamara for Walsh (67). Yellow card: P Durkin.
LEITRIM: 1 E Lyons; 2 J McKeon, 3 A Charles, 4 T Kelleher; 5 F Reynolds, 6 C Murray, 7 S Foley; 8 S Canning, 9 G McCloskey; 10 P McLoughlin, 15 F McBrien, 12 J Guckian; 13 M Duignan, 11 S Quinn, 14 O Maguire. Subs: P McDermott for Maguire (62 mins); G Foley for Guckian, J Holohan for Duignan (both 67); O McGuinness for Murray (68). Yellow cards: F Reynolds, T Kelleher, P McLoughlin. Red card: A Charles.
