Sligo’s promotion chances dealt a hammer blow

SLIGO WATERFORD

going to plan for the men in black. Gorman was an imposing physical presence on the edge of the Waterford square, the half-back line was getting on a lot of ball and forcing Waterford turnovers, and even a black card for Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch (albeit quickly followed by one for Darragh Corcoran of Waterford) didn’t see the team lose a step.

Yet if you wanted to see them, the warning signs were there. A couple of rash challenges allowed Jason Gleeson to kick two frees that never should have been, Aidan Devaney had to bail out his team with another excellent save, and Conor Murray’s well-taken point on the run foreshadowed the joy that Waterford would have in running the ball right through the heart of the Sligo defence after half-time.

Still, a great strike from Liam Gaughan and a free from Paddy O’Connor made it 0-9 to 0-6 at the interval and if Sligo could have mustered up a strong start to the second half, they could have killed off the Waterford challenge. Instead, their attempt to kill off their Munster visitors was not unlike a

Bond-villain’s attempts to kill off Roger-Moore-era 007. They had their chances, but they were over-elaborate, lacked precision, and five wides in succession meant that Waterford stayed alive and soon sensed weakness.

Add in a vital tactical switch – moving Dylan Guiry from corner-forward to midfield – and a renewed focus on going for the jugular rather than just trying to pick off scores from the fringes of the scoring zone, and Waterford quickly put themselves right back in this game. A stunning run from Guiry set up Seanie O’Donovan for the game’s first goal in the 49th minute, and while the next two scores came from Gaughan and Pat Hughes, the transformation in Waterford’s sense of self-belief was palpable to everyone of the diehard supporters that travelled for this game.

Even when Sligo got their share of luck – most notably when O’Connor got away with a blatant push in the back to win a kickout and set up Gorman for a score, Waterford didn’t let up. Two Jason Curry frees cut the gap to a point, Cian Breheny kicked a score on the run, and then with four minutes to play, Waterford’s courage of conviction came through in spectacular fashion.

John F. Carr had just got his second yellow card to leave Sligo down a man when Guiry fielded a long, diagonal ball on the 20m line, and instead of taking his mark and his easy point, he sensed blood. He drove on and got his shot away for goal, scrambling it over the line from close range and giving Waterford their first lead of the game.

Darragh Cummins equalised, but now with just a few minutes left, Sligo had allowed the game to turn into a coin toss. The sides swapped frees, before two Waterford points in injury time settled matters. Guiry was the instigator for the first, setting up Darragh Corcoran, while a glorious high catch from another impact sub (James Beresford) helped Corcoran to finish off the scoring, and kick off what’s sure to be a contentious post-mortem exam in the Sligo football camp. SCORERS

Sligo: Liam Gaughan 0-6 (0-4f), Barry Gorman 0-3 (0-2m), Red Óg Murphy (m), Seán Carrabine, Paddy O’Connor (f), Cian Lally, Darragh Cummins, Cian Breheny & Pat Hughes 0-1 each.

Waterford: Jason Curry 0-4f, Seanie O’Donovan & Dylan Guiry 1-0 each, Darragh Corcoran 0-3, Jason Gleeson 0-2f, Stephen Curry, Robbie Flynn & Conor Murray 0-1 each.

TEAMS

Sligo: Aidan Devaney; Mikey Gordon, Eddie McGuinness, John F. Carr; Gerard O’Kelly Lynch, Paul McNamara, Seán Carrabine; Paddy O’Connor, Paul Kilcoyne; Neil Ewing, Liam Gaughan, Keelan Cawley; Red Óg Murphy, Barry Gorman, Cian Lally.

Subs used: Darragh Cummins for Ewing (25), Pat Hughes for Lally (44), Cian Breheny for Cawley (47), Eoin McHugh for Gordon (54), David Quinn for Kilcoyne (65)

Waterford: Paudie Hunt; Darach Ó’Casaig, Mike Kiely, Aaron Jones; Robbie Flynn, Seán O’Donovan, Dermot Ryan; Jason Curry, Jason Gleeson; Brian Lynch, Conor Murray, Donie Fitzgerald; Dylan Guiry, Darragh Corcoran, Stephen Curry.

Subs used: Niall McSweeney for Gleeson (52), James Beresford for Fitzgerald (57), Adam O’Sullivan for Brian Lynch (69)

Referee: Kevin Falloon (Armagh)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH Dylan Guiry (Waterford) The turning point of this game was easy to identify – the switch by Waterford manager Benji Whelan which sent Guiry back into midfield, replacing a tall, passing-style player (Jason Gleeson) with an all-action dynamo.

Guiry’s hard running and ability to break the tackle cut Sligo open time after time from that point on, and he played a crucial role in several important scores, most notably his goal.