Sligo-Leitrim and District Soccer League
GURTEEN Celtic are still at the top of the Sligo Southern Hotel Super League. Last season’s second tier winners remain in the mix for the big prize and their 11th win from 13 games was last Saturday’s 8-0 hammering of bottom of the table Real Tubber at MacSharry Park.
The winners had the job done by half-time when they led 7-0. Scoring for Gurteen were Thomas Sweeney, who bagged four goals, Eoghan Nerney (2), Colm Gallagher and Nathan Dwyer. Gurteen are five points clear of second-placed Cartron United, who weren’t in Super League action due to their Connacht FA Men’s Junior Cup commitments.
Holders MCR FC are up to third in the standings – eight points behind Gurteen and with a game in hand. The defending champions won 3-1 against Manor Rangers at Sean Fallon Park last Sunday.
The hosts were 2-0 up at half-time thanks to first-half goals from Gary Farren and Keith Nibbs, who converted a penalty. Donagh Crowne added MCR’s third, a headed finish from Gary Rooney’s cross, with Manor netting an 85th minute consolation goal through Michael Ferguson.
Also in the top flight last Sunday, Strand Celtic won 5-1 at home to Cliffoney Celtic. Dylan Martin scored a hat-trick for the home side, with Leo Doherty and Daniel Gray Harrigan also on target. Cliffoney’s goal came from Mohamed Belghanem.
St John’s FC were 2-1 winners over Glenview Stars at MacSharry Park. First-half goals from Darren Mills and Kenneth Ogun gave St John’s a 2-0 interval lead. Gino O’Boyle pulled a goal back for Glenview in second-half stoppage time.
2-1 was also the scoreline from the meeting of Calry Bohs and Ballymote Celtic – the latter took the spoils. Jack Hever’s 90th minute goal – his second of the day – secured Ballymote’s sixth win of the campaign.
Hever’s first goal in the opening 10 minutes was later cancelled out by Eoin Nicholson’s finish for the hosts after half an hour. It was 1-1 at half-time.
SLIGO Pallets Premier League leaders Aughanagh Celtic won again last weekend – they received a walkover win from Valley Rovers, who are second from bottom, with the result recorded as a 3-0 victory.
The leaders are three points clear of second-placed Merville United, with the Sligo town side having played a game more.
Ballisodare United, who are third in the table, 10 points behind the leaders but with a game in hand, defeated Strand Celtic Reserves 6-2.
Oisin McElhinney put the visitors – Strand Celtic Reserves – a goal up after 10 minutes.
Ballisodare replied in decisive fashion and they were 4-1 ahead by the 51st minute following goals from Keith Cotter, Stephen Fallon, Michael Currid and Paul Scanlon.
Thomas Kinane then scored for Strand Celtic Reserves but Ballisodare added a further two goals – Michael Currid scored again and Niall Hahessy also netted.
Sean Stenson scored twice and Ciaran McMurray also found the onion bag as Coolaney United won 3-1 at home against Calry Bohs Reserves. Scoring for the visitors was Andrew Callaghan, whose 17th minute goal chalked off Sean Stenson’s opening minute goal for the home side.
There was a thriller in Ballygawley last Sunday as KilglassEnniscrone United netted two late goals – Levi Keavney and Thomas
RESULTS
Played on Friday, March 1
Sligo Pallets Premier League
ROUND 22: Benbulben FC 2, Dromahair FC 2
Played on Saturday, March 2
Connacht FA Men’s Junior Cup
ROUND FOUR: Carbury FC 0, Mervue
United ‘A’ (Galway) 4
Sligo Southern Hotel Super League
ROUND 18: Real Tubber 0, Gurteen Celtic 8
RESULTS
Played on Sunday, March 3
Sligo Southern Hotel Super League
ROUND 17: Calry Bohs 1, Ballymote Celtic 2;
Strand Celtic 5, Cliffoney Celtic 1; St John’s FC 2, Glenview Stars 1; MCR FC 3, Manor Rangers 1
Sligo Pallets Premier League
ROUND 22: Coolaney United 3, Calry Bohs 1; Ballygawley Celtic 4, Kilglass-Enniscrone United 4; Ballisodare United 6, Strand Celtic Reserves 2; Aughanagh Celtic 3, Valley Rovers 0
Connacht FA Women’s Junior Shield
FIXTURES
First named team has home advantage unless otherwise stated. The referee for each fixture is denoted in brackets.
Friday, March 8
Sligo Southern Hotel Super League
ROUND 20: Arrow Harps v Glenview Stars (Astroturf pitch, Ballisodare, 8.15pm) (P Kilcoyne)
Saturday, March 9
Sligo Southern Hotel Super League ROUND 20: Real Tubber v MCR FC (Astroturf pitch, MacSharry Park, 8pm) (G Gilmartin)
Sunday, March 10
Sligo Southern Hotel Super League
ROUND 20 – GAMES START AT 11AM UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED: Calry Bohs v Cartron United (S McGarry); Ballymote Celtic v Cliffoney Celtic (P McLoughlin); Strand Celtic v Gurteen Celtic (O McLoughlin); St John’s FC v Manor Rangers (Astroturf pitch, MacSharry Park) (R Zoschke)
Sligo Pallets Premier League
ROUND 18 – GAMES START AT 11AM UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED: Ballygawley Celtic v
Calry Bohs Reserves (T Butler); Aughanagh
Celtic v Coolaney United (D Basquille)
ROUND THREE: Dromahair FC v Ballinasloe Town (Galway) (2pm) (M Irwin)
SUPPORTING THE BIT O’RED: Young Sligo Rovers fans at The Showgrounds on Friday night last for the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division fixture against Shelbourne. The visitors won 1-0.
Langan were the goalscorers for the west Sligo side – to secure a 4-4 draw with Ballygawley Celtic.
The home side were 3-1 in front at half-time – Kyle Carty, Paul Devins and Ryan Walsh provided their first-half goals as they led 3-0 after 28 minutes.
Oisin Finnerty scored twice for the visitors – in the 34th minute and again in the 49th minute – to make a game of it. A fourth goal for Ballygawley, with Dermot Beggan on target, looked to have put matters out of KilglassEnniscrone’s reach with less than 10 minutes of normal time left. But the visitors had other ideas. Meanwhile, last Friday night saw Benbulben FC and Dromahair FC share the spoils – a 2-2
The number of goals scored by Thomas Sweeney for Gurteen Celtic against Real Tubber.
draw – at Ballisodare United’s astroturf pitch. Niall Hopper’s first-half goal put Dromahair in front and Oisin Gilmartin equalised for north Sligo’s Benbulben.
Jack Leonard’s stoppage-time goal saw Benbulben take a 2-1 lead but there was still time for Stephen Mullan to level matters for Dromahair.
IN last weekend’s Connacht Football Association Men’s Junior Cup fourth round, this season’s remaining Sligo-Leitrim representatives, Carbury FC and Cartron United, both made their exit.
Last Saturday saw Carbury lose 4-0 to Galway’s Mervue United at MacSharry Park – these sides met in the competition decider back in 2018 at The Showgrounds, with Mervue winning 7-6 on penalties after extra-time.
STANDINGS
Gurteen Celtic Cartron Utd MCR FC
Carbury FC Arrow Harps Ballymote Celtic Cliffoney Celtic Glenview Stars Calry Bohs Manor Rangers Strand Celtic St John’s FC
Real Tubber
Aughanagh Celtic Merville Utd Ballisodare Utd Benbulben FC Coolaney Utd Ballygawley Celtic Dromahair FC
Calry Bohs Res Kilglass-E’crone Utd Strand Celtic
Valley Rovers Carrick Town
TOP SCORERS
P W D 13 11 1 13 9 2 12 8 2 11 8 1 13 7 4 14 6 4 15 6 1 14 6 1 14 5 2 14 4 1 13 3 2 15 3 2 17 1 1
P W D 19 17 1 20 16 1 18 14 0 22 11 2 19 11 2 20 10 2 22 8 2 19 7 2 22 6 5 21 6 3 20 6 0 22 0 0
L 1 2 2 2 2 4 8 7 7 9 8 10 15
F 46 46 35 43 33 30 33 32 24 26 20 33 13
L F 1 74 3 68 4 70 9 71 6 51 8 54 12 58 10 51 11 44 12 41 14 32 22 0
A 12 17 24 14 18 24 39 38 31 41 27 50 79
A 23 33 28 51 39 45 83 55 65 62 64 66
Diff +34 +29 +11 +29 +15 +6 -6 -6 -7 -15 -7 -17 -66
Diff +51 +35 +42 +20 +12 +9 -25 -4 -21 -21 -32 -55
Pts 34 29 26 25 25 22 19 19 17 13 11 11 4
Pts 52 49 42 35 35 32 26 23 23 21 18 0
SUPER LEAGUE
12 GOALS: Thomas Sweeney (Gurteen Celtic); 11 GOALS: Jake Drewe (Glenview Stars); 10 GOALS: Dylan Martin (Strand Celtic); 9 GOALS: Donal Gallagher (Cartron United), Ben Tuohy (Arrow Harps); 8 GOALS: Jack Davitt (Cliffoney Celtic), Eoghan Nerney (Gurteen Celtic); 7 GOALS: Clive Brennan (Cartron United), Donagh Crowne (MCR FC), Dylan Walsh (Gurteen Celtic), Cian Kilcoyne (Carbury FC), Malachy Spratt (Carbury FC), Darragh McGoldrick (St John’s FC).
PREMIER LEAGUE
26 GOALS: Tyler Stallard (Merville United); 16 GOALS: Daniel Watters (Benbulben FC); 15 GOALS: Oisin Gilmartin (Benbulben FC); 12 GOALS: James Kiernan (Aughanagh Celtic); 11 GOALS: Adam Grace (Ballisodare United), Andrew Callaghan (Calry Bohs Reserves), Darragh Healy (Ballisodare United), Alan Kavanagh (Dromahair FC), Sean Stenson (Coolaney United).
Despite the scoreline at MacSharry Park, Carbury had opportunities to score through Niall Brennan, Ryan McManus, Steven Armstrong, Cian Kilcoyne and substitute Gareth Kelly. Carbury finished with 10 players due to the late dismissal of Steven Armstrong.
Carbury goalkeeper Jack Teape was also busy and his counterpart, Conor Winn, is an ex-League of Ireland player. The winners, who led 2-0 at half-time, are away to Galway rivals Salthill Devon in the quarter-finals.
Another of Mervue’s players, Colin Kelly, played in attack for Treaty United in last season’s SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division.
The next day, Sunday, Cartron United missed out on a place in the last eight when they lost 2-0 to Mayo’s Castlebar Celtic at MacSharry Park.
Cartron played their part in this fixture and, following a scoreless opening period, the visitors made the breakthrough with a 50th minute goal. Castlebar doubled their lead from counter-attack in the closing stages.
The hosts thought they had levelled with five minutes left but Donal Gallagher’s goalbound effort was kept out by Castlebar custodian Stefan Hester.
GURTEEN Celtic have qualified for the Connacht Football Association Women’s Junior Shield final. On Sunday last they defeated Athenry FC in a penalty shoot-out, winning 4-3, after matters at the Galway club’s facilities ended 3-3 after extra-time.
Katie Walsh and Leanne McGowan netted for Gurteen in normal time, which finished 2-2, and Walsh scored her second of the day in extra-time.
In the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Gurteen’s goalscorers were Katie Hannon, Catherine Gallagher, Tara Phillips and Grainne Phillips.
Gurteen will play Mervue United (Galway) in the decider.