The happiest GAA fans in the land yesterday were surely the 600 or so who made the trip from Sligo to Tralee to witness this victory over the All-Ireland champions Kerry. Never before had a Sligo team beaten Kerry in a senior competitive game and scenes of wild enthusiasm greeted the final whistle.
It sweetened everything for Sligo fans that victory had been richly deserved by what is essentially a very young team. Indeed, the Connacht men were so far ahead of Kerry on the day, in terms of sharpness and determination in particular, that they should have won by seven or eight points.
Right from the start Sligo carried the fight to Kerry. Midfield was quickly claimed and man-of-the-match Eamonn O'Hara together with Paul Durcan were to maintain dominance in this sector throughout.
Sligo were also very tight at the back and Kerry were flying distress signals from a very early stage.
Up front, the Sligo forwards played with a lot of purpose and confidence. They made a few silly errors early on, especially in dropping harmless shots into the hands of Kerry goalkeeper Declan O'Keeffe; but they began to make much better use of possession after that and it was clear that an upset was on the cards when they led by 0-6 to 0-5 at half-time.
They started the second half with a brilliant point by half forward Sean Davey and they proceeded to run Kerry ragged for the next 25 minutes, opening up a gap of five points (0-11 to 0-6) by the 57th minute.
It was only when the game had more or less drifted away from them that Kerry managed to stir themselves, though luck was on their side in the 59th minute when a centre by John Crowley was deflected into his own net by Sligo half back Ronan Keane.
Kerry launched a few very dangerous attacks in the time remaining and Sligo goalkeeper Pat Kilcoyne had to bring off one particularly good save from Michael Francis Russell, but the Connacht men were not to be denied and a John Crowley point four minutes into injury time was of no consequence for Kerry.
The final whistle went immediately afterwards and the partying began for the Sligo fans.
Afterwards, Sligo manager Mickey Moran enthused: "We will savour this one. There were three 19-year-olds out there for us today and that tells you a lot about this team."
For Kerry manager Paidi O Se there were no excuses. "The year has taken its toll, between injuries and everything else. It's as simple as that."
Kerry finished the game with 14 men, as they had used up their full complement of substitutes when half back Killian Byrne went off injured in the 55th minute.
Sligo: P Kilcoyne; N Maguire, N Clancy, M Cosgrove; R Keane, B Kilcoyne, N Carew; E O'Hara, P Durcan; K Killeen, B Walsh (0-2, 1 free), S Davey (0-2); E Cawley, D Sloyane (0-1), P Taylor (0-6, 5 frees). Sub: K Carty for Killeen (43 mins).
Kerry: D O'Keeffe; M O'Shea, B O'Shea, S Stack; K Byrne, S Moynihan, E Breen; D O Se, D Daly; E Fitzmaurice (0-1), L Hassett, J Crowley (0-1); M S Russell (0-2, 1 `45'), D O Cinneide (03, all frees), L Brosnan. Subs: J McGlynn for Fitzmaurice (37 mins); W Kirby for D Daly (45 mins), J Brennan for O Cinneide (53 mins).
Referee: W O'Mahony (Limerick).
