Sport

Sloyan leads Sligo revival

Sligo... 3-11 Clare..

Mon Mar 11 2002 - 00:00

Sligo ... 3-11 Clare ... 1-9: Clare were in with a real chance of notching their third league win in as many years over the home side when they went to the dressing-room at half-time on level terms, 1-4 to 0-7. But Sligo's plucky second-half fightback caught the Munstermen cold.

Dessie Sloyan gave the home side the lead in the first minute and the Easkey clubman set Gerry McGowan up for a decisive goal a minute later. Sloyan struck for Sligo's second goal in the 40th minute and Clare suddenly found themselves eight points adrift.

Donal O'Sullivan got Clare off the mark in the 45th minute but Sligo continued to dominate and the game was well out of the visitors' reach when Sloyan bagged his second goal in the 63rd minute after Clare goalkeeper Eoin Slattery dropped the ball.

Paul Hehir was the hero for the Claremen in the first half. The Doonbeg clubman opened the scoring in the second minute and he put the visitors four points ahead after 22 minutes with a fisted goal from Denis Russell's clever crossfield ball.

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Three unanswered points in the closing minutes brought Sligo back into contention, however, as centre half-back Michael Langan was sent off in the 69th minute for a second bookable offence.

Sloyan and McGowan took the scoring honours in a Sligo attack in which five of the forwards scored.

SLIGO: J Curran; P Naughton, N Carew, B Phillips; N McGuire, M Langan, K O'Neill; P Durcan, K Quinn (0-1); E Cawley, E O'Hara (0-2), S Davey (0-1); D Sloyan (2-3), J McPartland (0-1), G McGowan (1-3). Subs: R Brennan for Quinn (64 mins), P Neary for Durcan (65 mins), T Brennan for McPartland (56 mins), E Brennan for O'Neill (68 mins).

CLARE: E Slattery; P Gallagher, B Considine, P Smith; R Gibbons, N Hawes, R Slattery (0-1); D O'Sullivan (0-1), G Quinlan; M O'Connell (0-1), P Hehir (1-3), Denis Russell; J Mooney, David Russell (0-1), D O'Driscoll. Subs: S Hickey (0-2) for Denis Russell, P O'Dwyer for Quinlan (52 mins), D Ryan for Mooney (56 mins), B Ruane for O'Sullivan (65 mins), D Lyne for Smith (68 mins).

Referee: M Hughes (Tyrone).