Yeats county get off to a dream start with an early goal but Lilywhites respond with aplomb

SLIGO 2-8 KILDARE 2-19

SLIGO hosted Kildare in the opening round of the Christy Ring Cup and it was the visitors who emerged victorious on an 11-point margin after a dominant performance in Markievicz Park.

The Yeats county got off to an excellent start, Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch finding the back of the net two minutes in after Finnian Cawley overturned possession and sought out the Naomh Eoin man.

Kildare responded immediately however, with two quick goals in the fourth and eighth minute, both coming from Cathal Dowling.

They then hit a purple patch with some brilliant points from play, James Burke, Daire Guerin and Muiris Curtin all impressing for the visitors who comfortably led by eight points on 21 minutes.

However, the excellent O’Kelly-Lynch brought it back to a five-point game on 25 minutes when he got his second goal directly from a free on Conor Griffin.

Kildare responded, the outstanding Jack Sheridan hitting four points in the opening half as the Lilywhites led by 10 at the break, 2-13 to 2-3.

O’Kelly-Lynch tapped over an early free shortly after the resumption which was followed with a great point from Michael Munnelly.

Kildare kept the scoreboard ticking over, Burke and Sheridan impressing as Sligo kept battling but Stephen Sheil’s men hit ten wides which would have reduced the gap against their counterparts who are in Div 2A and among the favourites in the group.

A foul on substitute Conor Hannify saw O’Kelly-Lynch go for goal again late on, Kildare keeper Paddy McKenna with a super save to deny the hosts as Brian Dowling’s side had done enough.

Sligo travel to McGovern Park Ruislip on Saturday with hopes of a win.

SCORERS – Sligo: G O’Kelly-Lynch 2-6 (5f), M Munnelly 0-1, E O’Donoghue 0-1

Kildare: C Dowling 2-0 , J Sheridan 0-7 (4f, 65), J Burke 0-5, D Guerin 0-2 M Curtin 0-2, S Leacy 0-2, C Boran 0-1

SLIGO: L Comerford, N Kilcullen, G Connolly, D Cawley, L O’Kelly-Lynch, N Feehily, J McHugh, R McHugh, T Cawley, E O’Donoghue, G O’Kelly-Lynch, F Cawley, C Griffin, M Munnelly, F Connolly

Subs: C Hannify for L O’Kelly-Lynch (25), D Flynn for J McHugh (68)

KILDARE: P McKenna, C Shanahan, C Byrne, M Grace, S Leacy, C Boran, R Boron, C McCabe, P Dolan, D Guerin, J Burke, C Dowling, M Curtin, J Sheridan, D Qualter

Subs: D Flaherty for Dowling (31), C Kehoe for Qualter (47), J Higgins for McCabe (48), D Melville for Curtin (59), H Carroll for Dolan (68)

Referee: T Conway (Derry).