Gaelic Games

Jason Doherty’s fine form helps Mayo secure narrow win over Sligo

Player scores 1-4 to get his side across the line ahead of national league campaign

Mayo’s Jason Doherty scored 1-4 in his side’s defeat of Sligo in Ballina. Photograph: Tommy Dickson/Inpho

Sun Jan 21 2018 - 19:26

Mayo 1-10

Sligo 0-11

Jason Doherty hit the key goal for Mayo nine minutes into the second half as Stephen Rochford's side warmed up for their national league campaign with victory in Ballina.

Back to Division 1 action next weekend with an away trip to Monaghan, Rochford handed starts to some front-line players as Aidan O’Shea, Colm Boyle, Diarmuid O’Connor and Andy Moran all started in Ballina.

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Sligo start next weekend in Armagh in Division 3, and despite Adrian Marren’s early point they trailed 0-7 to 0-2 at half-time as Doherty and Evan Regan stacked up the scores.

Adrian Marren got Sligo off to a good start with a free, but the next seven scores all fell to Mayo as O’Connor and Doherty showed their talents from placed balls, while Evan Regan and Patrick Durcan also got in on the act.

Well in control at the interval, Mayo began the second half slowly, and Cathal Corey’s Sligo began to find their feet. Stephen Coen ended Sligo’s half-hour wait for a score just before the break and Niall Murphy and Niall Ewing added to their tally straight after the start of the second period to close Mayo’s lead to three points.

Coen then fired a free and another score from a sideline kick, while Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch levelled matters with Sligo’s fifth point in eight minutes.

But Mayo took a huge step towards the win when Doherty fisted Regan’s free to the net, and when Aidan O’Shea found his range Mayo held a 1-8 to 0-7 lead after 51 minutes.

Coen kept Sligo in the shake-up with another point, but frees from Doherty and Regan saw Mayo across the line.

Mayo: D Clarke; B Harrison, G Cafferkey, E O'Donoghue; C Boyle, M Hall, P Durcan (0-1); J Gibbons, S Coen; K McLoughlin, A O'Shea (0-1), D O'Connor (0-1); J Doherty (1-4, 4f), E Regan (0-3, 2f), A Moran. Subs: S Akram for Durcan (50), C Loftus for McLoughlin (50), S Nally for Coen (55), G McDonagh for Gibbons (55), F McDonagh for Doherty (59).

Sligo: A Devaney; M Gordon, L Nicholson, E McGuinness; K Cawley, D Cummins, G O'Kelly-Lynch (0-1); J Clarke, P O'Connor; N Ewing (0-1), F Cawley, A Marren (0-2, 2f); S Coen (0-5, 1f, 1'sl), P Hughes, K Cawley. Subs: P Kilcoyne for Cummins (h-t), N Murphy (0-2) for P O'Connor (h-t), S Carrabine for K Cawley (40), R Donovan for Nicholson (40),C Breheny for J Clarke (42), L Gaughan for F Cawley (46).

Referee: E O'Grady (Leitrim).

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