With a flourish
SLIGO SCORERS
for the second-half to keep Westmeath ahead; instead he was trying to stop the Sligo tide and his 52nd minute free was the last time the visitors were level, 0-9 each.
Sligo were at full tilt now and they reeled off 1-4 without reply to go seven points clear, 1-13 to 0-9.
Sean Carrabine and Niall Murphy scored points, with Niall Murphy’s
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION THREE
(15 scorers)
25 POINTS: Niall Murphy (1-22, 1-0 pen, 11f, 2 ‘mark’), Sean Carrabine
14 POINTS: Alan McLoughlin (1-11); Patrick
FIVE POINTS: Cian Lally (1-2), Darragh Cummins FOUR POINTS: Pat Spillane (0-4), Nathan Mullen (1-1); THREE POINTS: Paul McNamara (1-0); TWO POINTS: Aidan Devaney (1f, 1 ‘45’), Luke Towey, Lee Deignan; ONE POINT: Jack Lavin, Eoghan Smith, Paul Kilcoyne. latest effort from play coming after he dummied a Westmeath defender.
Then Sean Carrabine goaled with a bullet-like shot – Alan McLoughlin provided the assist – and Sligo supporters were seeing the side that had won three games in succession before being tumbled by Down.
It was also baffling as to how Westmeath were this
underpar, especially given their share of the spoils with Down in the previous round. There was a late surge from Westmeath – Andy McCormack drilled a goal shot over for a point and Luke Loughlin went even closer but his well-struck was brilliantly tipped over by Sligo goalkeeper Aidan Devaney.
In between these Westmeath scores was Sligo’s 14th and final point – a wonderful finish from Niall Murphy after a canny flick by Canice Mulligan.
Sligo mightn’t be the big dogs of Division Three this year but signs are that they’re approaching this status.
Best for Sligo: Alan McLoughlin
Sligo: Aidan Devaney, Paul McNamara, Evan Lyons, Eddie McGuinness, Peter Laffey, Nathan Mullen, Darragh Cummins (0-1), Paul Kilcoyne, Cian Lally, Canice Mulligan, Alan McLoughlin (0-5), Sean Carrabine (1-2, 1f), Eoghan Smith, Niall Murphy (c) (0-5), Lee Deignan (0-1)
Subs used: David Quinn, Donal Conlon, Mikey Gordon, Keelan Cawley, Mark Walsh Subs not used: Daniel Lyons (gk), Dylan Walsh, Daire O’Boyle, Luke Casserly, Oisin Flynn, Brian Cox
Westmeath: Jason Daly, Daniel Scahill, Kevin Maguire, James Dolan, Sam McCartan (0-1), David Lynch (0-1), Nigel Harte, Ray Connellan, Andy McCormack (0-1), Jonathan Lynam, Ronan O’Toole (0-2), Conor Dillon, Luke Loughlin (0-4, 2f), Kieran Martin, Robbie Forde
Subs used: John Heslin (0-2, 1f), Jamie Gonoud, Stephen Smith, Matthew Whittaker, Eoin Mulvihill
Referee: Jonathan Hayes (Limerick)