Selector Burke praises team’s fight to the end

SPEAKING following Sligo’s late win over Fermanagh on Sunday, selector Mark Burke said he believed a combination of the impact of substitutions along with determination and doggedness was the key to the Yeatsmen’s opening day league victory.

Half-time changes Kieran Prior and Ruairí Brennan played a key part in this win, with the former grabbing four scores of his own, including his 73rd minute winner.

“We were up against it in the second half going against the breeze with just the point in it”, the Tubbercurry man told the Sligo Champion. “But our lads fought very hard in the second half and our subs made a huge difference.

“Against the likes of Fermanagh, when you don’t have the ball you have to fight like dogs and that’s what we got in the second half.”

Declan McGarry’s goal just one minute previous looked like Fermanagh would return home with a point, but Sligo showed character to summon a winner.

“That was a bit of a sucker punch goal at the end but we had that bravery to go on the attack again and get that winning score”, Burke added.

“We were down, we were well into injury time and it’s hard when that happens. But the lads looked for that next puck out, nobody had their heads down and it was a great score to win it.”

Sligo’s next assignment is the short trip to take on Leitrim this Sunday. “It’ll be another dog fight which is what you get in this division”, Burke concluded. “But we’ll move on from today and go into that one looking for two points.”