These two sides could not be separated in what was essentially a mediocre game of football before a crowd of approximately 15,000 at Hyde Park yesterday. This Connacht semi-final will now move to stage two at Markievicz Park next Sunday.

Much will be made of the fact that Sligo held a seven-point lead yesterday going into the last quarter. But Roscommon followers will bemoan a missed penalty on the stroke of half-time and the team missed other excellent scoring chances in the second half before hitting their opponents with a two-goal blitz to take the lead in the last five minutes. Sligo rescued themselves with a last-gasp equaliser from a 45 by Brian Walsh.

Sligo supporters were shocked into silence by that Roscommon comeback.

Sligo had been dominant in the early stages when they played against a stiff breeze and still managed to shade the opening exchanges. Their tactic of holding possession for as long as possible in order to get the ball into opposition territory seemed to bode well for their chances of beating Roscommon at this stage of the championship for the second year in succession.

Their goal came in the eighth minute, when they were trailing by four points to one. They launched one of their speedy attacks and Eamon O'Hara, Sean Davey and Dessie Sloyane were all involved. As the ball was pumped through the middle it seemed that Sloyane had managed to get a crucial deflection to deceive Derek Thompson in the Roscommon goal, although some observers contended that the Roscommon centre back, Clifford McDonald got the final touch.

Sligo led 1-6 to 0-8 at half-time and seemed to be taking control when they sped into a 1-14 to 0-10 lead with slightly less that 10 minutes to go.

That seven-point lead, however, seemed to lure them into complacency. The grip which they appeared to have on midfield through Paul Durcan and Eamon O'Hara evaporated and the supply of possession to Ken Killeen, Paul Taylor and Sean Davey was cut off by the more vigilant Enon Gavin, Damien Donlon (now wandering far afield), Tom Ryan and Gerry Keane.

Shrewd substitutions by Roscommon helped put them back into the match. Two swift goals from Eddie Lohan and Nigel Dineen left the previously-jubilant Sligo supporters breathless.

Brian Walsh rescued the situation for the visitors, bringing the sides level. Referee Seamus Prior from Leitrim blew the whistle to give both sides a second chance.

Roscommon will regret the bad miss from a penalty, driven wide by the otherwise excellent Lohan. Lorcan Dowd had ghosted in behind the Sligo defence after an all-out attack on the Sligo goal and was dragged down by Pat Kilcoyne, the Sligo goalkeeper.