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2024 Allianz Football League Division 3 – Clare 0-9 Sligo 1-5

January 28 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Clare defeated Sligo by 0-9 to 1-5 in Round 1 of the 2024 Allianz Football League Division 3 on Sunday January 28th at Cusack Park Ennis.

Aaron Griffin points gives Clare the edge on Sligo in Division 3 opener

A first competitive meeting between Clare and Sligo in eight years was only decided in injury-time as Aaron Griffin’s 74th minute point nudged the home side over the line in Cusack Park Ennis on Sunday afternoon.

The stars aligned for a novel Division 3 opener between a new-look Clare side and a contrastingly momentum-fuelled Sligo, off the back of last year’s Division 4 crown.

And while the opening half was dominated by the inclement conditions and a five point unanswered rally for a wind-assisted Banner, two from Emmet McMahon, to hold a 0-6 to 0-2 cushion by the break, it wasn’t until the new half that the tie really sprung to life.

It commenced with a black card for Aaron Griffin in the opening minute, an early home sucker-punch that was duly punished when Sligo raided for goal in the next passage of play through a Sean Carrabine rebound at 0-6 to 1-2.

The Connacht side failed to capitalise upon that boost as they soon lost Luke Towey to a straight red for a strike albeit that a fully restored Clare 15 couldn’t take advantage either as they would only score a single free from seven chances.

With the door left ajar, Tony McEntee’s side kicked the next three points, with Sean Carradine’s 63rd minute free edging Sligo in front at 1-5 to 0-7.

A seemingly luckless Clare had a Mark McInerney penalty saved, an incident that actually saw Sligo rescued to 13 as Paul Kilcoyne earned a second yellow, before finally getting back on level terms through McMahon in the 67th minute.

A tense finale was eventually broken by a superb Aaron Griffin winner that handed a relieved Mark Fitzgerald what could be a valuable first league victory.

Scorers –
Clare: E McMahon 0-5 (4f); A Griffin 0-2; D Coughlan, M McInerney (f) 0-1 each.
Sligo: S Carrabine 1-1 (1f); P Spillane, N Murphy (f), P O’Connor J Lavin 0-1 each

Clare: S Ryan 7; M Doherty 7, R Lanigan 7, M Garry 7; I Ugwueru 8, A Sweeney 7, D Walsh 7; G Murray 7, B McNamara 6; C Downes 6, E McMahon 8, D Coughlan 7; M McInerney 7, A Griffin 7, S Griffin 6
Subs: C Murray 6 for S Griffin (HT), E O’Connor 6 for Downes (60), J Curran 5 for McNamara (66), F Ginnane for McInerney (76).

Sligo: A Devaney 7; P McNamara 7, E Lyons 7, E McGuinness 7; L Towey 6, D Cummins 7, J Lavin 7; C Lally 7, P Kilcoyne 6; D Quinn 6, E Smith 7, P O’Connor 7; P Spillane 7, S Carrabine 7, N Murphy 6
Subs: B Cox 6 for Quinn (45), M Gordon 5 for Spillane (52), A McLaughlin 5 for Smith (52), A Reilly 5 for Lally (63), M Walsh 5 for Lavin (69).

Referee: C Lane (Cork).

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Details

Date:
January 28
Time:
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Venue

Cusack Park Ennis

GAA Units

Clare GAA
Cork GAA
Kerry GAA
Limerick GAA
Tipperary GAA
Waterford GAA
US GAA