Breheny sets the tone as Sligo spring shock

NFL Division Two B/ Sligo 1-13 Westmeath 0-9 : Westmeath slumped to a shock seven-point defeat to bottom-of-the-table Sligo …

NFL Division Two B/ Sligo 1-13 Westmeath 0-9: Westmeath slumped to a shock seven-point defeat to bottom-of-the-table Sligo at Markievicz Park yesterday.

The hitherto undefeated midlanders were red-hot favourites to defeat a team that had failed to register a single point in their previous four league outings.

Mark Breheny set the tone for the first half with a pointed free after 30 seconds before JP Ward levelled for the visitors in the fourth minute.

The turning point of the game came on 16 minutes when Tubbercurry student David Kelly, making his intercounty debut, blasted the ball to the Westmeath net after Johnny Davey's blistering shot came back off the post.

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Sligo were 1-3 to 0-4 in front and held their opponents to a single point over the next 20 minutes to lead 1-7 to 0-5 at half-time.

Westmeath opened the second-half scoring with points by Dessie Dolan (free) and Alan Mangan but Sligo continued to dictate matters with Charlie Harrison, captain Noel Maguire, Breheny and Seán Davey holding sway.

Former All Star Eamonn O'Hara was sprung from the bench in the 40th minute after a long injury lay-off and scored a well-taken point.

SLIGO: P Greene; C Harrison, N McGuire, R Donovan; B Kivlehan (0-1), P McGovern, J Daly, P Doohan (0-3), S Davey (0-1), B Curran, M Breheny (0-3, one free), A Marren (0-2), D McTernan (0-1), J McPartland (0-1), D Kelly (1-0). Subs: E O'Hara (0-1) for McTernan (40 mins); K O'Neill for Kivlehan (64 mins); .

WESTMEATH: G Connaughton; J Davitt, M Ennis, J Keane; D McDermott, D Heavin, G Dillon; D Duffy, D O'Shaughnessy; A Mangan (0-2), G Dolan, P Bannon; PJ Ward (0-2), D Glennon (0-2), D Dolan (0-3, one free). Subs: S Cleary for McDermott, G Duffy for Bannon (both 25 mins; J Fallon D Duffy (39 mins); J Nugent for Fallon (69 mins).

Referee: R O'Donnell (Donegal).