Sheil regrets that Sligo misfired at MacHale Park
FREE-TAKER AT WORK: Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch on his way to converting a first-half free for Sligo in their AHL Division 3A final against Mayo on Sunday last.
HARD LUCK: Sligo manager Stephen Sheil consoles one of his players, Tony O’Kelly-Lynch, after last Sunday’s loss to Mayo in the Allianz Hurling League Division 3B decider.
3-6 to 1-9, during a second-half that included a long delay due to treatment for Fionn Moylan who was then carried off the pitch on a stretcher.
Thomas Cawley’s 49th minute goal – a good finish after he was found by Fionn Moylan’s delivery from out the field – gave Sligo a much-needed lift and earlier there was an inspirational point from Moylan.
But Mayo were still keeping the scoreboard ticking over – Liam Lavin was their latest scorer – and when play resumed following Fionn Moylan’s departure (he was replaced by Liam O’Kelly-Lynch), there were four points between the teams, 2-12 to 1-11.
It should have been three points but Eddie O’Donoghue’s attempt for a white flag score didn’t have enough
COUNTY DUTY: Sligo’s Niall Kilcullen in action against Mayo last Sunday afternoon.
heft and it reached Mayo goalkeeper Bobby Douglas. Mayo countered and pointed through Eoin Delaney and then Delaney set up Shane Boland for a well-taken goal.
At 3-13 to 1-11 it looked like curtains for Sligo. But they rallied and a 60th minute goal from substitute Conor Hanniffy, who somehow goaled from a tight angle and when surrounded by Mayo defenders, breathed life into Sligo’s previously flagging cause.
Conor Hanniffy was denied a certain goal two minutes later. A sweetly-struck sideline cut from Thomas Cawley landed in the mixer and Hanniffy’s goalbound flick was kept out by Bobby Douglas’ smart save.
Sligo mustered four points – three from Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch and one by Thomas Cawley – but Mayo continued to be accurate and they were four points up, 3-16 to 2-15, two minutes into the 10 minutes of additional time.
Substitute Tony O’Kelly-Lynch provided a pass for fellow substitute Conor Griffin’s close-range goal and suddenly the margin was a single point, 3-16 to 3-15.
Three points from Mayo took the sting out of Sligo’s potential full recovery and a pointed free from Rory McHugh was Sligo’s final score. In what was Sligo’s fourth Allianz Hurling League final in six years, they just weren’t good enough.
Best for Sligo: Thomas Cawley
Sligo: Declan Reidy, Kevin O’Kennedy (c), Gavin Connolly, Eoighan Rua McGowan,
Joe McHugh, Niall Feehily, Niall Kilcullen, Fionn Moylan (0-2), Rory McHugh (0-2, 1f), Michael Munnelly (0-1), Eddie O’Donoghue, Finnian Cawley (0-1), Thomas Cawley (1-2), Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch (0-8, 5f, 2 ‘65’), Fionn Connolly
Subs used: Conor Hanniffy (1-0), Liam O’Kelly-Lynch, Tony O’Kelly-Lynch, Conor Griffin (1-0)
Subs not used: Luke Comerford (gk), Shane Brenan, Donáll Hanley, Darragh Cawley, Donal Keaveny, Fergal O’Kelly-Lynch
Bobby Douglas, Luke Connor, Daniel Hill, Oisin Greally, Conal Hession, David Kenny, Eoghan Collins, Daniel Huane,
John Heraty, Sean Kenny, Adrian Phillips (0-2), Liam Lavin (0-3), Shane Boland (2-7, 4f), Cormac Phillips (0-5, 3f, 1 ‘65’), Eoin Delaney (1-2)
Subs used: Joseph Burke, Sean Regan, Matthew Connor, Conor Murray, Michael Farrell
Referee: Niall Malone (Clare)
THIS WASN’T how it was supposed to go. In the ferocious rain-hail-rain and up against the rapacious skills of Mayo forwards Shane Boland (2-7), Cormac Phillips (0-5) and Eoin Delaney (1-2), Sligo’s senior hurlers fell short.
A three-point loss at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 3-19 to 3-16, doesn’t do justice to Sligo’s endeavour, with Fionn Moylan’s second-half injury a major blow, yet Mayo were sharper when it mattered.
While Sligo and Mayo will be Division Three of next year’s revamped Allianz Hurling League, Sligo are currently in a higher championship (Christy Ring Cup) compared to their Connacht neighbours (Nicky Rackard Cup), with Mayo having been relegated from the Christy Ring Cup last year.
Sligo’s Christy Ring Cup campaign commences on the weekend after next – a home game against Kildare – so last Sunday’s disappointing loss in Castlebar gave manager Stephen Sheil plenty to mull over.
He stated: “It was a funny game – any time we got a big score they [Mayo] got a big score straight after. Fionn Moylan was getting into the game when he got the injury.
“There are a lot of ‘ifs’, ‘buts’ and ‘maybes’ – if we didn’t let the second goal in, if Fionn didn’t go off injured. We always knew it was going to be a battle again after only playing them a few weeks ago.”
He continued: “We have ourselves to look at. We are not going to blame the weather, the pitch or the fact that Fionn had to go off. We were off the mark a little bit.
“It would have been nice to win – that’s always the aim when you get to a final. We can use this defeat as a ‘poking stick’ for the Christy Ring Cup. The players are disappointed. We’ll regroup and get ready for Kildare.
“We have to work on stuff – it is easier, after losing like that, to get the lads riled up.”
Beating Mayo and securing silverware would have been a nice way to complete his first Allianz Hurling League campaign at the helm but Sheil is pragmatic enough to know that even with Allianz Hurling League silverware, Sligo still would be heading into a difficult Christy Ring Cup.
The Carlow man, who took over from Padraig Mannion (who is now part of Mayo’s management), remains positive after eight games in charge. His current record is four wins, one draw and three losses.
“To be fair to the players, we achieved what we set out to do – that was to get to the Division 3A final. That was our first goal – winning it would have been nice.
“I’m getting used to the lads, their personalities and what their best positions are. They are getting used to me and the rest of the backroom team.
“This is a work in progress but we are in a good place going into the championship. Mayo were a good test for us but we need to be beating the likes of Mayo.
“We have Kildare in the first round [of the Christy Ring Cup] and then we’re away to London – those are too big games but we’ll get the players ready for it. Hopefully we can get a victory from at least one of those games and that will put us in good stead for the remainder.”
Sheil is also hopeful that the likes of Conor Griffin and Tony O’KellyLynch, two forwards who were both not quite 100% after recent injuries, will be at full pelt for the upcoming Christy Ring Cup campaign. But Fionn Moylan is likely to miss the rest of Sligo’s season and will be a doubt, too, for Easkey’s bid to win a fifth successive Sligo Senior Hurling Championship.
Meanwhile, this year’s Christy Ring Cup will see Sligo play Kildare (home), London (away), Tyrone (home), Wicklow (away) and Derry (home). The top two contest the decider, with the winner competing in next year’s Joe McDonagh Cup, while the team that is bottom of the six-team group after the round-robin phase will be relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup for 2025.