CONNACHT SFC QUARTER-FINAL Roscommon 2-13 Leitrim 2-9: A MORE physical Roscommon side proved far superior to Leitrim in yesterday's Connacht football championship clash at Carrick-on-Shannon.
Leitrim started brightly with championship debutant Colm Clarke scoring a goal in the second minute. But Roscommon edged back on top following an 18th-minute penalty, which Karol Mannion clinically slotted home.
Following Clarke’s early goal, Roscommon opened their account with a fifth-minute Senan Kilbride point from play. James Glancy hit back with a point from a Leitrim free in the following minute.
Roscommon countered with a similar score from Donal Shine in the 10th minute but Tomas Beirne restored Leitrim’s one-goal lead when he whipped over a point from play three minutes later.
Gary Cox kept Roscommon in the hunt when he shot a 13th-minute point and the turning point in the game came some five minutes later. Senan Kilbride was tumbled in the square and Mannion fired home the resulting spot kick.
Leitrim equalised through a point by Glancy but Shine edged Roscommon back into a lead they never subsequently surrendered two minutes later when he fired over from play.
They landed a major blow in the 29th minute when Kilbride shot to the net after a ball came back off the upright. Leitrim, who had calls for a penalty rejected by referee Derek Fahy, trailed 1–4 to 2–5 at the interval.
But within three minutes of the restart John McKeon finished a defence-splitting move to the Roscommon net to reduce the visitors’ lead to the minimum.
However, Roscommon replied with three unanswered points over the next eight minutes, Conor Devaney hitting the target twice and Sean McDermott adding a point.
A Ray Cox point from a free in the 49th minute kept Leitrim in touch. But Roscommon stretched their lead to five points over the next five minutes after points from Gary Cox and substitute Fintan Cregg.
Leitrim fought on and points from Philly McGuinness (two) and Declan Maxwell kept them in contention although Roscommon replied through Shine (twice) and sub Kevin Higgins to ensure a semi-final date with Mayo.
Roscommon manager Fergal O’ Donnell admitted his side had started nervously. He said: “I knew Mickey Moran (the Leitrim manager) would try and exploit Roscommon by opening us up.” O‘Donnell admitted his side had conceded two goals after giving the ball away.
Mickey Moran pinpointed the loss of James Glancy early in the first half as a major blow to his side. “James Glancy was our free-taker and the two other free-takers we have, Michael Foley and Emlyn Mulligan, were already out injured. There was a four-point turnover in the second half and we fouled the ball which allowed Roscommon go five points up.”
ROSCOMMON: G Claffey; P Domican, J Nolan, P Kelly; S McDermott (0-1), D Flynn, D Keenan; M Finneran, B Higgins; G Cox (0-3), K Mannion (1-0, pen), D Shine (0-5, three frees); C Devaney (0-2), S Kilbride (1-1), J Dunning. Subs: P Gleeson for Keenan (26 mins), F Cregg for Higgins (42 mins), K Higgins (0-1)for Dunning (56 mins), D O'Gara for Kilbride (72 mins).
LEITRIM: N Gill; M McGuinness, J McKeon (1-0), D Reynolds; B Prior, G McWeeney, J Glancy (St Mary's); G McCloskey, S Canning; P McGuiness (0-2, one free), T Beirne (0-1), C Clarke (1-0); R Cox (0-2, one free), D Maxwell (0-1), J Glancy (Glencar/Manor) (0-2). Subs: D O'Connor for J Glancy (Glencar/Manor, 22 mins), G Reynolds for J Glancy (St Mary's), D Beck for McWeeney (41 mins), B Gallagher for McCloskey (54 mins), S Foley (0-1)for Clarke (60 mins).
Referee: D Fahy(Longford).
