Derry had to pull out all the stops to preserve their unbeaten record against Sligo at Markievicz Park yesterday.

Sligo led five times during the fiercely competitive encounter but were denied the draw when Ronan Rocks clinched a dramatic winning point for the Ulster side in the last minute.

It was an indication of Derry's anxiety and a tribute to Sligo's resolute defending that the Northerners had to press Anthony Tohill into action four minutes into the second half. The former All Star, who was expected to be out of action for at least another couple of weeks, made a significant impact, scoring two vital points, but it was only after the withdrawal of inspirational fullback, Nigel Clancy, with a leg injury in the 57th minute, that the tide really began to turn against Sligo.

Derry trailed by a point with six minutes remaining, but they dug deep to finish strongly. Tohill equalised with a long-range free and then Rocks grabbed the last-minute winner, punching over from Dermot Heaney's pass.

It was a particularly satisfying score for Rocks, who had been guilty of some wayward shooting from frees and was also denied by the woodwork in the 59th minute.

The impressive Patrick Bradley got Derry off to a flying start with two points in the opening 12 minutes, but Sligo responded positively with four unanswered scores from Tommy Brennan (2), Paul Taylor and Eamon O'Hara.

Derry regained the upper-hand towards the end of the half and Sligo were relieved to see the unmarked Dermot Dougan missing the target from close range.

The sides were level at half-time, five points each, and the second half followed a similar pattern with Derry hitting back to equalise every time Sligo got their noses in front.

Just when it seemed the game would end in deadlock, Rocks came to Derry's rescue.

Derry: E McCluskey; R Lynch, G Coleman, D O'Neill; P McFlynn, H Downey, K McKeever; D Heaney, D Dougan 0-1; R Rocks 0-2, J Niblock, J McBride 0-1; P Bradley 0-4, F McCusker, J Cassidy. Subs: S Martin-Lockhart for O'Neill (27 mins), A Tohill 0-2 for McCusker (39 mins), S McNarnon for Cassidy (67 mins), N McOscar for McBride (70 mins).

Sligo: P Walsh; N McGuire, N Clancy 0-1, B Phillips; D Durkin, G McDermott, M Langan; E O'Hara 0-1, P Durcan; S Davey, P Taylor 0-3, D Sloyan; T Brennan 0-2, K Killeen 0-1, G McGowan 0-1. Subs: M Cosgrove for McDermott (34 mins), B Walsh for Sloyan (50 mins), R Keane for Clancy (57 mins), J McPartland for McGowan (68 mins).

Referee: J McKee, Armagh.