Club league begins
TOURLESTRANE began the defence of their Sligo Senior Football League title with a narrow one point win over neighbours Tubbercurry in Tourlestrane on Saturday evening last.
The holders had to come from behind to claim the victory after Tubber had raced into an early lead with a goal in the opening seconds from Stephen Kilcoyne getting this year’s league off to a lively start.
But Eamon O’Hara’s charges gradually fought their way back into proceedings and were amply assisted by the sending off of Tubbercurry’s Rory Ryan just 17 minutes in.
The home side made the most of the advantage and Brian Egan’s goal shortly before the break set the green and gold on their way to claiming bragging rights in this south Sligo derby.
This game sprung into life as early as the third minute when Tubbercurry raised an early green flag.
Stephen Kilcoyne firing past Adam Broe in the Tourlestrane nets just moments before the same man sent over the first of his two points on the day, with a free from his hands.
Both sides kept the scoreboard ticking over as Pat Kilcoyne’s men kept ahead of their rivals.
John Francis Carr and Cathal Henry were among the scorers for the home team as white flags from Stephen and Darragh Kilcoyne saw Tubber lead 1-4 to 0-3 with ten minutes played.
Cathal Henry sent two efforts between the posts with a quarter of an hour elapsed to bring it to a two point game before the game’s real tipping moment occurred.
As a red moon rose over the Sligo/ Mayo border it was Ryan who saw a card of the same colour as the mist descended. The half back rashly kicking out at the grounded Kenneth Gavigan after both men has tussled for the ball.
Forced to re-shuffle their pack, a dazed Tubbercurry allowed Egan the time and space to find the posts soon after.
Tubber, to their credit, did rally and kept their side of the scoreboard moving with points from Luke Gilmartin and a great score from Conal Ryan from the right.
With the black and white holding on to a 1-6 to 0-7 lead, disaster struck as last year’s double winners edged in front for the first time on the half hour.
Henry finding Egan, who took a sharp detour towards the Tubber area before rifling the ball past Colm McGee to send Tourlestrane into a one point lead. A pointed free from the same player extending the advantage to two at the break.
It took the second half nearly ten minutes to cough up its first score.
Tourlestrane’s Liam Gaughan putting his foot through an ambitious effort from far out for one of the scores of the game.
The home side passed up a golden opportunity to further their advantage on 48 minutes.
James Leonard’s initial pop at the posts came back off the woodwork with Conan Marren well placed to catch the breaking ball.
Marren was favourite to profit from the subsequent one-on-one but somehow got his bearings wrong as he shot straight at McGee in the Tubber goals.
Gaughan picked up his second point for O’Hara’s men moments later to leave Tourlestrane’s lead at three.
It was then Tubbercurry’s turn to rue missed opportunities on 50 minutes. Cian Gilmartin this time finding himself through on goal, but his drive at goal from the ground was beat away by Broe.
Tubber’s Brian Morohan and Tourlestrane’s Egan exchanged impressive scores each to bring it to a three point game with three minutes left.
Tubber gave it one last go and tightened the deficit to just the single point in the second minute of injury time.
Darragh Kilcoyne registering his third point of the evening on 58, while the same man gave his team some hope four minutes later from a free after full back David Brennan was upended.
It wasn’t enough however as Tourlestrane held on to take two league points at the first attempt.
Tourlestrane: Adam Broe; Colin Neary, Barry Walsh, Kevin O’Hara (Cian Surlis 60 +2); James Leonard (0-1), Adrian McIntyre, John Francis Carr (0-1); Shane Dunne, Conan Marren; Gary Gaughen, John Kelly, Kenneth Gavigan (Oisin Kennedy 40); Liam Gaughan (0-3), Cathal Henry (0-2), Brian Egan (1-5).
Tubbercurry: Colm McGee; David Brennan, Brian Murphy, Eoin Coleman (Seamus O’Baoighaill 19); Rory Ryan (0-1), Eddie McGuinness, Cathal Surlis; Stephen Gilmartin, Luke Gilmartin (0-1); Brian Curran, Cian Gilmartin (Brian Morohan 26) (0-1), David Kelly (Dermot Walsh HT); Darragh Kilcoyne (0-3), Stephen Kilcoyne (1-2) (Matthew Mulhern 53), Conal Ryan (0-2).
Referee: Barry Judge (Castleconnor).