*Clare’s Eoin Cleary. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE finished their Division 3 league campaign with a fourth defeat, losing to fourteen man Sligo.
Sligo 2-23
Clare 0-28
Venue: Markievicz Park, Sligo
For the second year in a row, Clare leave Sligo empty handed and with the wrong outcome in a game they should and could have won.
Five missed goal chances in the second half were costly for Clare who did everything but rattle the net. Sligo were relieved, the result having much more significance for them as it seals their Division 3 status for 2027 where they will once again be joined by Clare.
Leading by five points with twenty minutes to go and with a numerical advantage, Clare let their lead slip and fell to a disappointing loss to end their league campaign on a downer.
Substitute Jack Lavin kicked the winning score on sixty eight minutes for the hosts who worked the ball up field after a Seán McAllister effort boomed off the crossbar at the other end.
A total of six two pointers in the first half had Clare leading by two when the hooter sounded. Playing with the breeze, it took Clare a long time to begin to utilise the elements with the attacking trio of Aaron Griffin, Mark McInerney and Eoin Cleary once again to credit for keeping them in contention.
Possibly taking inspiration from the manner in which Wexford inflicted pain on them last week with the second quarter undoing any promotion hopes, Clare kicked on in the final twelve minutes of the first half to outscore Sligo 0-10 0-3.
Before this, there were too many resemblances from the Wexford performance where Clare were too passive and loose in defence, allowing their opponents to ease through and kick ten points in the opening twenty minutes.
Two pointers were to thank for Clare staying in the game, the trio of McInerney, Griffin and Cleary are among the top scorers in Division 3 for a reason. They were also joined on the scoresheet by Fionn Kelleher who landed his first-ever two pointer with Clare’s last score of the half as they led 0-16 0-14.
Kelleher was one of four late additions to the team. Tristan O’Callaghan was handed his first league start between the posts while Shane Griffin and Cormac Murray though not named to start retained their positions in attack. Neither Dermot Coughlan or Brian McNamara were togged for the tie with Stephen Ryan and Ikem Ugwueru omitted from the first fifteen.
Throughout the course of the game, Clare lost their entire half-back line, Connor Meaney, Fionn Kelleher and Brendy Rouine all forced off with injuries. Rouine’s appears to be the most serious of the lot.
Sligo were moving the ball very quickly, far too swift for the visitors when they were dominating proceedings in the first twenty. Alan McLoughlin, Luke Towey, Cian Lally and Shane Deignan among the players to make their mark on the scoreboard.
With three of the first four scores on the restart, Clare went four clear by the fortieth minute. Sligo were reduced to fourteen when Darragh Cummins picked up a second yellow card, three minutes later.
Two McInerney frees had Clare five points clear entering the final twenty minutes but mistakes began to mount allowing Sligo to pounce for two goals in the space of three minutes. Kyle Cawley raised the first green flag after Sligo punished Clare when they were caught for overcarrying the ball in the corner while Rouine sustained his knee injury in the move which led to Cian Lally firing their second goal on fifty five minutes.
Lally’s strike put Sligo 2-20 0-23 ahead but Clare again responded, McInerney, Cleary and Griffin all pointing to draw level. Within the final five minutes, Clare missed three goal scoring opportunities and with it went their chance of ending the league with a win.
Aaron Griffin was excellent for Clare over the entire game, his shooting combined with his workrate meant he was the side’s star man. Cleary and McInerney also stood out as did Manus Doherty.
Scorers Sligo: C Lally (1-4), A McLoughlin (0-5 1f), K Cawley (1-0), S Deignan (0-3), L Towey (0-3), ), L Deignan (0-3 1TP), N Murphy (0-2 1f), D Cummins (0-1), P Spillane (0-1 J Lavin (0-1)
Scorers Clare: M McInerney (0-11 2TP 1TPf 3f), A Griffin (0-7 1TP 1f), E Cleary (0-5 1TP), F Kelleher (0-2 1TP), S Griffin (0-1), M Nash (0-1)
Sligo:
1: Keelan Harte (Coolera Strandhill)
17: Tommy Ross (Curry)
2: Evan Lyons (Shamrock Gaels)
4: Luke Casserly (St Molaise Gaels)
7: Canice Mulligan (St Patrick’s)
3: Darragh Cummins (St Vincent’s)
5: Luke Towey (St Molaise Gaels)
9: Gavin Gorman (Coolaney Mullinabreena)
8: Conor Sheridan (Shamrock Gaels)
10: Lee Deignan (Shamrock Gaels)
11: Alan McLoughlin (St Molaise Gaels)
15: Niall Murphy (Coolera Strandhill)
Subs:
6: Jack Lavin (Ballymote) for N Murphy (43)
24: Pat Spillane (St Molaise Gaels) for Quinn (45)
21: Kyle Cawley (St Mary’s) for S Deignan (51)
12: Daire O’Boyle (Cairy St Joseph’s) for Mulligan (65)
Clare
16: Tristan O’Callaghan (St Breckan’s)
2: Alan Sweeney (St Breckan’s)
3: Ronan Lanigan (Éire Óg)
4: Manus Doherty (Éire Óg)
5: Brendy Rouine (Ennistymon)
6: Connor Meaney (Lissycasey)
22: Fionn Kelleher (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
12: Joshua Vaughan (Ennistymon)
9: Cillian Brennan (Clondegad)
10: Daniel Walsh (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
15: Aaron Griffin (Lissycasey)
24: Shane Griffin (Lissycasey)
13: Mark McInerney (Éire Óg)
14: Eoin Cleary (St Joseph’s Miltown)
17: Cormac Murray (St Joseph’s Miltown)
Subs:
19: Michael Nash (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield) for Meaney (19) (inj)
18: Jamie Stack (St Breckan’s) for Murray (43)
23: Gavin Murray (Éire Óg) for Walsh (45)
7: Ikem Ugwueru (Éire Óg) for Kellleher (50) (inj)
21: Joseph Rafferty (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
26: Seán McAllister (Clondegad) for Rouine (55) (inj)
Referee: Conor Doureen (Cavan)
