Connacht SFC First Round/ Roscommon 2-16 Sligo 1-15: Roscommon silenced their critics in no uncertain terms in the Bank of Ireland Connacht football championship replay on Saturday night. However, many of the 15,000 spectators in Markievicz Park left wondering when something is going to be done about the standard of refereeing.
Kerry official Aidan Mangan incensed the crowd with many of his decisions. Mangan booked a total of seven players - six of them from Roscommon - and sent Roscommon free-taker Frankie Dolan off midway through the second half. Dolan's sending-off appeared to be for nothing more than a jersey pull.
Sligo manager James Kearins said: "That sort of refereeing defies belief for me. It's dreadful that players who put in 100 sessions in training are then subjected to that sort of treatment."
The referee showed yellow cards to five Roscommon players during a 20-minute spell between the 10th and 30th minutes of the first half.
When Frankie Dolan opened the scoring with a Roscommon point from a free in the fourth minute and Karol Mannion chipped in with a similar score from play two minutes later, there was little indication of the drama that was to follow.
Michael McNamara opened Sligo's account with a point after nine minutes before Mark Brehony levelled the scores 60 seconds later. But Sligo were rocked by a goal from the penalty spot by Ger Heneghan in the 22nd minute.
Philip Greene in the home goal blocked a Nigel Dineen shot, but Heneghan was fouled as he jumped for the ball. Sligo were having difficulty getting into their stride in the first half and also coping with a swirling cross-field wind while their opponents weren't producing the form shown in the first half of the drawn match.
Then inside two minutes of stoppage time Paul Taylor, recalled to the home team at full forward, shot a nice point from play and then blasted the game's second penalty past Shane Curran in the Roscommon goal.
The goal put Sligo ahead by two points, 1-5 to 1-3 at half-time. Seán Davey and Frankie Dolan exchanged points at the start of the second period before a superb 43rd minute score by midfielder Seamus O'Neill from 40 yards out signalled the start of a purple patch for Tom Carr's side.
Roscommon were now only a point behind and Doran squared the match from a free a minute later. The referee then signalled the third, and as it eventually turned out, the most crucial spot-kick of the afternoon.
With Heneghan, scorer of the opening penalty, substituted at half-time and regular penalty taker Dolan departed, team captain Curran left his goal to take the vital kick. The St Brigid's man sent the Sligo goalkeeper the wrong way to put Roscommon 2-7 to 1-7 ahead with 20 minutes of normal time remaining.
But Sligo were not finished and scores by Taylor, Brehony and Dessie Sloyan (twice) levelled the game after Roscommon substitute Andy McPadden had also scored.
But when man of the match Curran slotted a real pressure kick from a free 45 yards out on the sideline over the bar deep into stoppage time, Roscommon looked to be on their way to a semi-final meeting with Leitrim. But Sligo got a last-gasp reprieve when substitute Jonathan Davey notched a 74th-minute point to send the game to extra-time.
A couple of points were exchanged in the first half of extra-time to leave the score 2-11 to 1-14 in favour of the visitors - but Sligo were still in the game. Roscommon stepped up a couple of gears during the second half, however, scoring five points, all from play, to Sligo's one to win by 2-16 to 1-15.
A disappointed Kearins said: "The players used up a lot of energy during the first half and we didn't pick up where we left off at half-time. The swirling wind made play very difficult."
Carr was upbeat after the game praising the "courage and heart" shown by his players. He was "worried at half-time and full-time and all through the game but our legs and fitness carried us through".
Hero of the game Curran added: "Roscommon players have pride in the jersey and they were stung by some of the comments made by GAA pundits on television last Sunday."
Asked about his penalty goal, Curran said the only thought in his mind as he stepped up to take the kick was "to put the ball in the net".
ROSCOMMON: S Curran (1-1, goal from a penalty, point from a free), J Whyte, M Ryan, J Nolan, P Noone (0-1), F Grehan (0-2), J Rogers, S O'Neill (0-2), S Lohan, G Cox (0-1), N Dineen, B Higgins, G Heneghan (1-1, goal from a penalty), K Mannion (0-2), F Dolan (0-3, two frees). Subs: D Connellan for Higgins (25 mins); J Dunning (0-1) for Heneghan (half-time); A McPadden (0-1) for Rogers (half-time); D Casey for Dineen (63 mins); E Towey for Noone (67 mins); J Tiernan (0-1) for Connellan (80 mins).
SLIGO: P Greene, J Martyn, N McGuire, B Phillips, D Durkin, M Langan, P Doohan, E O'Hara, S Davey (0-3), B Curran, M Breheny (0-2), M McNamara (0-1), D Sloyan (0-4, three frees, one 45), P Taylor (1-4, goal from pen, two frees), G McGowan. Subs: D McGarty for Curran (64 mins); J Davey (0-1) for Durkin (69); K Quinn for McGowan (74); P Durcan for McNamara (80).
Referee: A Mannion (Kerry).
