Sligo’s senior hurlers came up with the first win of their 2023
league campaign when they overcame Wicklow at a cold and wet Markievicz Park on
Sunday last.
The five-point winning margin will give the team a boost as
they face into a play-off against London this coming weekend to retain their Division
2B status.
Sligo’s victory was built around the free taking accuracy of
Diarmuid Hanniffy and well as some clever play by the inside forward line who got
critical scores at key times in the game to keep Wicklow at bay.
There was nothing between the sides in the first half as
they struggled with the conditions and were never more than two points apart.
Sligo’s first four scores were off the hurl of free taker
for the day Diarmuid Hanniffy with the sides scoring four each in the first 12
minutes.
Sligo had a gilt-edged chance to make the first decisive note
of the day on 18 minutes when Liam O’Kelly Lynch was fouled by Wicklow goalkeeper
Cian Staunton to concede a penalty. Staunton made amends by saving from Hanniffy
only to see the referee order a retake. On the second occasion Rory McHugh took
over as the striker but Staunton again deflected the shot to keep his net intact.
Tyrone kept the scoreboard ticking over adding three points
that were matched by Sligo’s first points from play by Hanniffy, his brother Conor
and the lively Eddie O’Donoghue who had his best game of the campaign so far to
leave the sides level on seven points each going into half time,
Sligo however got the decisive break of the half just as the
game turned past 35 minutes as Tomás Cawley finished to the net with aplomb after
great set up play by O’Donoghue.
There was still time for a quick exchange of points with Joe
McHugh on the mark for Sligo to give them a 1-8 to 0-8 half time lead.
Wicklow made a bustling start to the second half and managed
the first three points to restore parity in the first ten minutes, Hanniffy
picked up the mantle again however and converted a 65 after Staunton ion the
Wicklow goal deflected a goal bound O’Donoghue shot past the post.
He added another from play before O’Donoghue pointed a free
from 80 metres to restore the three-point advantage for Sligo ahead.
Wicklow pulled one point back and Sligo looked potentially to
be on the back foot when midfielder Fionn Connolly picked up a second yellow
card with 12 minutes to go. O’Donoghue
popped up for another point to restore the three-point advantage and then
Diarmuid Hanniffy extended that to four with the score of the day finishing
from 50 metres on the run from wide on the right after being teed up by a brilliant
cross-field ball from Rory McHugh.
Joe McHugh got his second to extend that lead again with two
minutes left on the clock and it proved to be the last score of the game. Sligo
were further reduced hallway through those four minutes when Fionn Moylan
picked up his second yellow but they held out comfortably to claim the full
league points.
Sligo: Luke Comerford, Darragh Cawley, Gavin
Connolly, Niall Kilcullen; Ruairi Brennan, Rory McHugh, Ronan Molloy; Fionn Connolly,
Diarmuid Hanniffy (0-8, 5f 1 ‘65) ; Joe McHugh (0-2), Fionn Moylan, Conor Hanniffy
(0-1); Tomás Cawley, Eddie O’Donoghue (0-3, 1f), Liam O’Kelly Lynch
Subs: Darragh Flynn for O’Donoghue and John Cosgrove for
O’Kelly Lynch 66m, Donal Keavney for Brennan 68m.
Wicklow: Cian Staunton; Dylan Byrne, Brian Kearney, Tommy Collins;
Cian Lonan, Eoghan Byrne, Sam O’Dowd; Mark Murphy, Jack Doyle; Torna Mulconry, Gavin
Weir (0-5, 1f, 1’65), Seanie Germaine; Andy O’Brien (0-3, 2f), Luke Evans (0-1),
Mikey Lee (0-2).
Subs: Pádraig Doran for O’Dowd 22m, Eoin McCormack
for Mulconry and Davy Maloney (0-1) for Lee HT, Diarmuid Masterson for Doyle,
50m, Pádraig Doyle for Weir, 56m