Connacht League SFLiam Sammon's reign as manager got off to a winning start when Galway defeated the Connacht champions Sligo 1-13 to 0-9 in a well-contested FBD Connacht League clash at Tuam Stadium yesterday.
The new Sligo manager Tommy Jordan will be far from happy with the barren periods; Sligo failed to score for the opening 21 minutes and then beat that record by going 23 minutes in the second half without raising a flag.
Galway scored 1-5 without reply during Sligo's second-half barren spell, the goal that sealed the match coming from a Micheál Meehan penalty after 68 minutes.
The students of NUI Galway stunned Mayo, 2-9 to 0-14, at Ballinrobe yesterday.
Mark Ronaldson, who plays for the Mayo side Shrule-Glencorrib, drilled the ball to the Mayo net in the 68th minute after goalkeeper Tom Higgins dropped Seán Armstrong's effort for a point that fell short.
The goal shot the Galway students two points clear and, though Mayo pulled back a point from Mikey Mullins, Armstrong was on target to regain that two-point lead - Peadar Gardiner's point in injury-time coming too late to give Mayo a chance of what would have been a deserved draw.
In the other two Connacht League matches played yesterday, Leitrim defeated GMIT 2-7 to 0-8 at Carrick-on-Shannon, while Sligo IT overcame Roscommon 1-15 to 0-13 at Ballinode.
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