Gaelic Games

Sligo and Offaly still fighting for their lives after Tullamore draw

Sligo’s Niall Murphy scored an injury time free as Offaly failed to push on in second half

Where’s the ball? Sligo’s Ross Donavan and Bernard Allen of Offaly in action. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

Mon Mar 19 2018 - 17:42

Offaly 0-8 Sligo 0-8

A free from Sligo midfielder Niall Murphy five minutes into injury time gave his team a share of the spoils against Offaly at O’Connor Park.

Monday’s draw, rearranged after Sunday’s postponement due to weather conditions, leaves both counties still fighting for their lives in Division Three.

Going into next Sunday’s final round, Sligo have Derry at home and Offaly travel to neighbours Westmeath, with Offaly currently second bottom on three points. Both Sligo and Derry are on four points.

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If Offaly do go down, they will look back on this game with huge regret.

Ahead by 0-6 to 0-3 seven minutes into the second half and the wind at their backs, they really should have taken the two points but were unable to push on home.

As a spectacle, it was a very poor game of football with a lot of mistakes and little in the way of excitement or quality. Offaly finished with 13 men. Conor Carroll was sent off in the 25th minute for a yellow and black card while Peter Cunningham received a second yellow near the end. Sligo’s Stephen Coen received a straight red for an off the ball incident in the 33rd minute in a game where no quarter was asked or given.

Sligo were especially poor when playing with the wind in the first half and a hard working Offaly deserved their half time lead of 0-4 to 0-2.

It was all very tight in the second half. Sligo got back level - 0-6 apiece at the three quarter way stage - but frees from Nigel Dunne and Bernard Allen put Offaly two ahead with 11 minutes left after Adrian Marren and Kyle Cawley both hit the crossbar.

Marren’s free reduced it to the minimum before that injury time kick from Murphy gave Sligo something to take away from a disappointing showing.

OFFALY: P Dunican; D Hogan, P McConway, S Nally; D Dempsey, N Darby, J Lalor; P Cunningham, M Brazil; C McNamee, A Sullivan (0-1), C Donohue; B Allen (0-3, 1f), C Carroll, N Dunne (0-4, 2f). Subs: J Hayes for Donohue (58), C Johnson for Dunne (Black card 60), D Brady for McConway (62m), S Tierney for Sullivan (70).

SLIGO: A Devaney; R Donovan, L Nicholson, C Harrison (0-1); Keelan Cawley, A McIntyre, G O'Kelly-Lynch; K McDonnell, N Murphy (0-1f); N Ewing (0-1), P O'Connor (0-1), L Gaughan (0-1); S Coen, P Hughes, A Marren (0-1f). Subs: C Breheny (0-1) for Hughes (HT), Kyle Cawley for Cawley (HT), S Carribine (0-1) for Nicholson (51), D Cummins for Marren (Black card 67), P Hughes for O'Connor (72).

Referee: J Molloy (Galway).

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