Seán Quigley helps guide Fermanagh to win over Sligo

Fermanagh 0-14 Sligo 0-12

Seán Quigley kicked eight points as Fermanagh kept their promotion hopes very much alive in this gripping Division Three game at Markievicz Park on Sunday.

Fermanagh were the more purposeful side for most of the 70 minutes showing alertness in defence whenever Sligo threatened their goal and enjoying superiority at midfield and in attack.

Sligo stepped up a gear in the second half after trailing by two points, 0-8 to 0-6 at half time

Fermanagh were two points ahead after four minutes of the first half with Quigley, from a free, and Barry Mulrone following an inch perfect pass by Richard O'Callaghan giving them the perfect start before before Mark Breheny, from a free, got Sligo off the mark in the sixth minute.

The teams were level on three occasions in the firtst half with Quigley showing his accuracy from play and from placed balls. Ryan Jones stretched the visitors' lead with a neat score at the start of the second half before Adrian Marren pulled a point back for the hosts.

A couple of clever points by Quigley put the Ulstermen four points clear after 55 minutes and Sligo looked in real trouble at that stage .

And it got even worse for Niall Carews side as the half progressed with substitute Conall Jones giving his side a five-points advantage as play neared the 60-minute mark.

Jones’ role

Jones played a major role in Fermanaghs play in the closing stages adding his second score of the afternoon as the action entered the closing minutes.

Sligo put the visitors under extreme pressure as they as they went in search of the goal that might have changed the course of the game but their only reward was a couple of late points by Keelan Cawley and substitute Pat Hughes as Fermanagh held out for a deserved if hard earned win.

Fermanagh boss Peter McGrath was delighted with the win, but said all teams would improve over the next couple of weeks, “All teams will get a lot of work done on the field so we have got to get our work done and just be conscious of that our next game is at home to Tipperary. The next game against Tipperary is going to be a real , real tester and I think it will go a long way towards deciding potential promotion hopes.”

FERMANAGH: C Snow; N Cassidy, M O Brien, M Jones, D McCusker,R McCluskey, J McMcMahon, E Donnelly, R O'Callaghan, P McCusker, R Jones (0-1), B Mulrone (0-2), D Kille, S Quigley (0-8, five frees), R Corrigan (0-1). Subs: S McQuaid for Corrigan (53 mins), C Jones for O Callaghan (58 mins).

SLIGO: A Devaney;, D Maye, R Donovan, E Flanagan, K Cawley (0-1), N Gaughan, B Curran,C Davey, S McManus, N Ewing, M Breheny (0-4, two frees), D Kelly, N Murphy (0-1), A Marren (0-3), K Sweeney (0-1). Subs: P Hughes (0-2) for Ewing, S Stenson for McManus.

Referee: Derek Fahy (Longford).