ATU Sligo were convincing winners of their opening round championship game against ATU Galway in a stormy Connacht Centre of Excellence, Bekan last Thursday.

Playing into a gale force wind and driving rain, the Sligo side settled well and dominated possession. Conditions dictated that this would not be a high scoring or free flowing affair, with goalkeepers having to contend with a moving ball for kickouts.

Jamie Barry Guing opened the scoring for the Sligo side with a well-struck free into the wind from the left-hand side after 8 minutes. Sligo continued to dominate possession, and never let Galway into any sort of rhythm, though they levelled the scoring with an excellent score from play from Sean Birmingham on 11 minutes. Shehu was unlucky to see his left-footed strike come back off the upright after Guing threaded through a great ball; Aghamore’s Briain O’Breslin reacted quickest and got there before the hesitant Galway netminder, and finished to the net past a couple of defenders.  The Galway side got a point back with a free from Sean Birmingham on 16 minutes after he was fouled. Then came a key moment in the game, as Galway added a free to leave the half-time score at 1-1 to 0-2 in favour of Sligo ATU.

Galway came out fired up in the second half playing into the elements and drove at the Sligo defence and probed for a way back in to the contest, but they couldn’t find a way through. After soaking up the earlier onslaught, Sligo finished the game in full control again starting with a pointed free from Jamie-Barry Guing after great work by Dylan Walsh. Emmanuel Shehu added another close-in free after a foul on Ross Chambers before Dara O’Boyle added one from play after Sligo turned over yet another Galway kickout. The Calry man tapped over a close-in free with the game’s last kick to leave a 6-point margin in it (1-5 to 0-2) after Ronan Kelly was fouled when at the end of a move involving Walsh, Shehu, and a great run from Ross Doherty.

The management team of Con O’Meara, Paul Higgins and Greg Regan will have been happy with the result and the commitment of their charges on a night not conducive to football. The squad has nine Sligo footballers involved, with Molaise Gaels providing three players (Michael Langan and John & Marc Heraghty) and Drumcliffe-Rosses Point providing two (Hugh Keaney and Ross Chambers). Eastern Harps’ Dylan Walsh, St. John’s Ronan Kelly, Calry’s Daire O’Boyle and Coolera-Strandhill’s Ross Doherty all contributed too.

Sligo ATU: Jim Kelly (Mayo); Ross Chambers (Sligo), Ryan Keenaghan (Donegal), Hugh Keaney (Sligo); Briain O Breslin (Mayo), Jack Ferguson (Mayo), Cian Molloy (Galway); Dara Syron (Mayo), Matt Gillespie (Donegal); Ross Doherty (Sligo), Emmanuel Shehu (Cavan), Dylan Walsh (Sligo); Jamie Barry Guing (Offaly), Daire O’Boyle (Sligo), Marc Heraghty (Sligo). Subs used: Michael Langan (Sligo), Ronan Kelly (Sligo).

Referee: John Glavey (Mayo).