N.Y. GAA Stamford stun Sligo in Div. 1 tie

By Mike Fitzpatrick

Stamford 0-12, Sligo 0-4

Sligo’s two-year hiatus from top flight football ended at Gaelic Park on Sunday. But the side’s triumphant return in this senior football Div. I will have to remain on hold because their rivals from Connecticut inflicted a heavy defeat upon Bosco Walsh’s men.

The first half was an even affair with neither side moving far ahead of the other in the scoring ranks. A Terry Mannion point and a hat trick of efforts over the bar from Dave Phelan, playing his second game of the afternoon, were matched each time by Sligo’s Noel Fitzgerald who grabbed four first half points for Sligo. That’s all she wrote for Sligo though, as the second half opened with another two from Stamford’s Phelan to give his side a two point lead, an advantage they didn’t relinquish.

Sligo clearly stepped back a gear, the heavy cross breeze doing nobody any favors. Meanwhile, Stamford just continued charging forward at every opportunity.

Ted Steede grabbed two efforts for Stamford to give the out of state side a further lead. After that it was all Stamford.

Fitzgerald and Conor Healy were unlucky not to register efforts for Sligo in their few attacking movements, and their misses were punished even further by Stamford’s 10th point of the afternoon from the boot of Keith Hennessy.

Two late in the day points from Stamford’s Phelan finished up proceedings to give his side a convincing eight point victory. Though the second half was all Stamford with the Connecticut-based side hitting eight points without reply, it’s worth noting that Fitzgerald’s four Sligo points in the first half left the sides level going into the break, suggesting that Sligo really have to concentrate on the full game, not to let their momentum slip as the games wear on.

Sligo will certainly aim at getting back up there when their upcoming games arrive on the schedule. The difference between Div. I and Div. II football was apparent, but at least Sligo has now got a more realistic idea of what they will come up against this year.

The perennial dark horses from Stamford have gotten their season off to the start they wanted, but with tough games coming up in the next few months, it remains to be seen whether they can hold on to their early season optimism.

Stamford: James Reilly, Jim Lyons, Philip Wickham, Dave Williams, Jason Williams, Richie Purcell, Mark Comerford, Rory Stafford, Ted Steede (0-2), Terry Mannion (0-1), Keith Hennessy (0-1), Justin O’Halloran, Mike Martin, Dave Phelan (0-7), Declan Curtin (0-1).

Sligo: Dermot Fleming, Eamonn Duffy, Chris McManus, John McKenzie, Mark Doyle, Sean Cunnie, Ronan Cartney, Enda Henry, Peter Brennan, Ronan Tuffy, Austin Walsh, Noel Fitzgerald (0-4), Ray Reynolds, Kieran Fleming, Conor Healy,