Tailteann Cup: Antrim and Sligo draw thriller

Tailteann Cup Group Two

ANTRIM 0-20 SLIGO 0-20

From David Mohan at Kingspan Breffni

It finished honours even at Kingspan Breffni on Sunday as a thrilling top-of-the-table clash between Antrim and Sligo end with Sligo topping the group on scoring difference.

Coming into this game, both had won their first two fixtures, but the Yeatsmen's better scoring difference meant they only had to avoid defeat to Antrim in order to earn the bye straight through to a home quarter-final and they did enough to achieve that.

But they will have felt they could have made life a little easier as they led by four late on before a late saffron surge brought the teams level for the eighth time of the day, but they couldn't conjure up the winner they needed.

Niall Murphy led the way with eight points and he had plenty of assistance from Alan McLaughlin and Sean Carrabine, while for Antrim, Ryan McQuillan took some excellent scores, with substitute Connor Hand landing two in that final push that earned a point, but fires Antrim into next week's preliminary round.

The tone was set early as Colm McLarnon kicked Antrim into the lead with Seán Carrabine replying, before Alan McLaughlin and Patrick O'Connor put the Yeatsmen into the lead.

Each time Antrim got up for a score, Sligo would immediately reply with Niall Murphy and Darragh Cummins on target, while Ryan McQuillan began to find his range.

But a run of five scores out of six seemed to suggest Sligo were taking a grip as they led 0-11 to 0-6 after 25 minutes of a very open half with both sides keen to get on the front foot.

Antrim had been enjoying success off their kick-out, but Sligo were beginning to put pressure on Michael Byrne as they were getting to grips around the middle and Antrim had yet to put two scores together, but that would change as the Saffrons rattled off five on the spin to level as Patrick McBride, Jospeh Finnegan and Marc Jordan chipped in along with McQuillan.

Dermot McAleese would make a vital block on Cian Lally at the other end and after another exchange of pouts McQuillan notched his fourth of the half to give Antrim a slender 0-13 to 0-12 lead at the end of an excellent opening half.

Murphy tied it up early in the second period, but after Antrim's Paddy McAleer found the side-netting, as the sides continued to slug it out.

The scores weren't flowing like the first half, but it was nonetheless tight as neither could fully take a grip in the third quarter.

Murphy and Nathan Mullen edged the Yeatsmen in front and they responded twice as Antrim drew level.

The gap remained one on 58 minutes when Marc Jordan was put through on goal, but blazed wide with the goal at his mercy.

Sligo replied with points from Murphy, Carrabine and Mark Walsh to push the gap to four as the minutes ticked down and they looked in a good place again. However, there was another Antrim surge as Conor Hand kicked two, McQuillan brought his tally to six and then goalkeeper Michael Byrne levelled from a free. But a draw was no good for Antrim and they pushed to wind a winner, but Sligo gave them little room to manoeuvre and in the end, a shot to nothing from Eoin Hynds went outside the post as Sligo took the draw they needed to top the group and enjoy the bye week, while Antrim return next week at home.

Scorers for Antrim: R McQuillan 0-6 (1f), P McBride 0-4 (2f), R McCann (Creggan) 0-2, C Hand 0-2, N Burns 0-1, J Finnegan 0-1, P McAleer 0-1, C McLarnon 0-1, M Jordan 0-1, M Byrne 0-1 (1f)

Scorers for Sligo: N Murphy 0-8 (3f), A McLaughlin 0-3, S Carrabine 0-3, P O'Connor 0-2, C Lally 0-1, D Cummins 0-1, N Mullen 0-1, M Walsh 0-1

ANTRIM: Michael Byrne; Declan Lynch, Eunan Walsh, Kavan Keenan; Niall Burns, Jospeh Finnegan, Dermot McAleese; Paddy McAleer, Cathal Hynds; Colm McLarnon, Patrick McBride, Ruairí McCann (Creggan); Ryan McQuillan, Ruairí McCann (Aghagallon), Marc Jordan. Subs: Dominic McEnhill for P McBride (52), Conor Hand for N Burns (52), James McDonnell for K Keenan (63), Conhuir Johnston for R McCann (Aghagallon, 65), Eoin Hynds for C McLarnon (69)

SLIGO: Aidan Delaney; Evan Lyons, Eddie McGuinness, Paul McNamara; Brian Cox, Darragh Cummins, Nathan Mullen; Paul Kilcoyne, Canice Mulligan; Cian Lally, Alan McLaughlin, Seán Carrabne; Mikey Gordon, Patrick O’Connor, Niall Murphy. Subs: Mark Walsh for M Gordon (58), Eoghan Smith for C Lally (61), Jack Lavin for P McNamara (64), Lee Deignan for P O'Connor (70+2)

REFEREE: Seán Lonergan (Tipperary)