McDonnell and Casey goals fire Rossies to victory
Electric Ireland Connacht MFC
Roscommon 2-8 Sligo 0-8
By Eamon A. Donoghue
Two goals, one in each half, was the difference in Roscommon’s win over Sligo in this Connacht Minor Football championship game at Dr Hyde Park last Friday evening.
James Duignan's side had already secured a semi-final place but this win now gives them a second place in the table and a home game in the last four.
Roscommon didn’t score for the first 15 minutes. Luckily for them, Sligo were little better in the scoring department during that time with 0-1. Then in the space of four minutes. Roscommon scored 1-3 without reply. Dara Curran showed the way with their first score, followed immediately by a Seán McDonnell score from distance. Then Stephen Tighe found the range with a point and then all the momentum was with the hosts.
The crucial score arrived in the 19th minute. McDonnell and Curran were involved and Dean Casey finished past Gareth Cummins in the Sligo goal. Casey and Tighe added scores before the interval, leaving Roscommon ahead by 1-5 to 0-3 at half-time.
The first half wasn’t a half of football that will be remembered, but the second half was a dire affair. The continuous heavy mist and overcast gloomy evening didn’t help either team.
Roscommon scored their second goal immediately after the game resumed. McDonnell got on the end of a move involving Curran and Casey and the Strokestown player finished calmly into the Sligo net. Sligo didn’t put up a challenge after that and Roscommon did enough to stay in the ascendancy.
Curran and Casey both kicked scores to extend the Roscommon lead to 2-7 to 0-5 by the 41st minute. But Roscommon finished like they started, failing to score for the next 15 minutes. Sligo did peg back the lead with scores from Niall Duffy (three points) but they never threatened Roscommon’s lead and the hosts saw out a comfortable win.
How good are Roscommon? They have had good spells mixed with the not so good. How good their opponents were is also questionable. Either way, that won’t bother Roscommon’s management of James Duignan, a former Garrycastle player, and two former Roscommon senior backroom members in Declan Hoare and Stephen Bohan. They are into a semi-final and one game away from a Connacht final and an All-Ireland quarter-final place.
Player of the match: Dean Casey (Roscommon). Casey was involved in everything that was good for Roscommon, while Sean McDonnell was also instrumental and scored 1-1 from midfield.
Scorers - Roscommon: S McDonnell 1-1, D Casey 1-1 (0-1f), S Tighe and D Curran (1f) 0-2 each, C Murray and C Mulry 0-1 each. Sligo: N Duffy 0-5 (4f), C Nicholson, C Gilligan and T Murphy 0-1 each.
Roscommon: Patrick Gaynor, Martin Connaughton, Keelan Kelly, Colin Murray, Eoin Collins, Darragh Devanney, Anthony Cox, Sean McDonnell, Cathal Enright, Joe McKeon, Dara Curran, Alan Conroy, Conor Kennedy, Dean Casey, Stephen Tighe. Subs: Samuel Malec-Hannon for Kennedy (36 mins), Ross Glynn for Curran (47), Michael Brooks for Connaughton (48), Gordon Casey for Collins (55).
Sligo: Gareth Cummins, Shane Murphy, Noah Philips, Conor Murray, James Lavin, Alexander Lillie, Patrick Brady, Cian Nicholson, Conor McDonagh, Eoin Finnerty, Niall Duffy, Danny Woodrow, Cathal Gilligan, Marc Clifford, Adam Feeney. Subs: Ben Cawley and Dante Currid for Clifford and Feeney (half-time), Conor Langan for Finnerty (41 mins).
Referee: Mark McCluskey.