Connacht MFC/Sligo 0-9 Leitrim 0-3: Sligo made easy progress to a semi-final meeting with Galway when they overcame Leitrim without much fuss at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon, yesterday.
Francis Quinn put the visitors ahead with a pointed free after five minutes. Despite having most of the possession, and the dismissal of Leitrim full back Dermot Reynolds in the 13th minute for a personal foul on Adrian McIntyre, they didn't score again until the 21st minute when Adrian McMunn pointed from play.
Leitrim's only score of the half came three minutes later from a Ronan Kennedy-pointed free. However, two late points gave the visitors a deserved half-time lead of 0-4 to 0-1.
A bright second-half start by Leitrim yielded two more Kennedy-pointed frees, but Sligo's pace and power, led by man-of-the-match David Rooney, quickly snuffed out the Leitrim challenge and they ran out comfortable winners in the end.
SLIGO: J Farrell; C O'Grady, B Murphy, N Ewing; D McDonagh, P J Boyd, D Rooney; A McIntyre, S Gilmartin; S Stenson, B Neary, K Raymond; D Kelly (0-1), A McMunn (0-3, two frees), F Quinn (0-2, frees). Subs: P Cawley (0-2) for McIntyre, J Marren (0-1) for Neary, P Rafferty for O'Grady, C McGee for McMunn, P McTiernan for Raymond.
LEITRIM: A Mulvey; C Reynolds, D Reynolds, J Conroy; K O'Flynn, P Ellis, T Farrelly; P Early, S Conaty; R Mulvey, C Egan, R Kennedy (0-3, frees); G Reynolds, D O'Connor, G Sammon (0-1, one free). Subs: A Fowley for Sammon, J McWeeney for Egan, G Kelly for Fowley, E Burke for O'Flynn. S O'Hara for O'Connor.
Referee: D Corcoran (Mayo).
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