A late goal with the last move of the match deep in added time gave Coolera/Strandhill a dramatic 1-9 to 1-6 win over Drumcliffe/Rosses Point in Sunday’s Homeland Sligo senior football championship Group 2 game at Markievicz Park.
With time almost up and the sides level at 0-9 to 1-6, Coolera’s Mark McDaniel pounced on a loose ball in front of the Drumcliffe goal and his goal-bound shot struck the underside of the crossbar before bouncing behind the goal-line and spinning out again.
Referee Barry Judge, after consulting with his umpires, awarded the three-pointer and it proved to be the last move of the game, which gave Coolera/Strandhill a three-point victory.
Scenarios
The result means that if Coolera/Strandhill win their final group game next Saturday against Tubbercurry by any margin, they will qualify for the semi-finals from Group 2.
Drumcliffe/Rosses Point can also still make the last four – but they now need to beat county champions Tourlestrane by at least three points in their concluding group match next Saturday.
The holders, who are bidding to win an unprecedented eighth Sligo senior title in a row, haven’t lost a senior championship match (in the group or knockout stages) since 2015.
Tourlestrane, who currently top Group 2 with six points, will be assured of a place in the semi-finals if they avoid defeat – or even a two-point loss would be enough for the champions to progress.
In the event three teams in Group 2 finish level on six points next weekend, scoring difference in the head-to-head matches would decide the top two positions.
As it stands, the ‘head-to-head’ table for the top three teams in Group 2 looks like this:
| TEAMS | GAMES | PTS | Scoring Diff (Head-to-Head) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourlestrane | 3 | 6 | +3 |
| Coolera/Strandhill | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Drumcliffe/Rosses Point | 3 | 4 | -3 |
Sligo’s Competitions Control Committee met on Monday evening to confirm all the permutations for next weekend’s final round of games in both the senior and intermediate championships.
Group 2 – Round 4 fixtures: Saturday, Sept 23rd
Coolera/Strandhill v Tubbercurry, 5pm
Tourlesrane v Drumcliffe/Rosses Point, 5pm
In Group 1, St Molaise Gaels confirmed their semi-final place on Sunday with a 1-18 to 0-9 win over Calry/St Joseph’s.
That result also mathematically confirmed St Mary’s place in the last four.
Their final group game against Molaise next Sunday will determine who finishes top of Group 1, and who qualifies as runners-up.
Calry/St Joseph’s (4pts) and St Farnan’s (2 points) will meet next weekend to see who avoids the relegation play-off.
The loser will join Tubbercurry (0 pts) in the relegation semi-finals from Group 1.
Group 1 -Round 4 fixtures: Sunday, Sept 24th
St Mary’s v St Molaise Gaels, 3pm
Calry/St Joseph’s v St Farnan’s, 3pm
Sligo SFC format
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the county semi-finals. There are no quarter-finals.
The bottom two teams from each group go into the relegtion semi-finals – with the loser of the final making the drop to intermediate football next year.
SFC semi-final pairings
Winners of Group 1 v Runners-up of Group 2
Winners of Group 2 v Runners-up of Group 1
