Cavan are into the inaugural Tailteann Cup final, after holding off a strong Sligo challenge to win 0-20 to 1-14 at Croke Park.
The Yeats County recovered from a sloppy start, with Niall Murphy leading a second-half fightback.
But the 2020 Ulster champions' class eventually told. Gearoid McKiernan provided the magic as they held off their opponents down the home straight to prevail by four points.
Cavan dominated the opening exchanges. Before they knew it, they were six points to the good, with Sligo struggling to get off the mark.
Aidan Devaney denied James Smith from close range, as the Yeats County struggled to stay afloat. Up front, the Connacht side's radar was off, with six shots failing to find the target before Pat Spillane eventually opened their account in the 15th minute.
However, the Kerry native's white flag then kicked Sligo into gear.
In the 19th minute, Luke Towey was brought down by Gerard Smith just as he was about to pull the trigger, and Fergal Kelly awarded a penalty. Patrick O'Connor dispatched it past Raymond Galligan, and further points from Pat Hughes and Darragh Cummins closed the gap to one.
Spillane was pulling the strings in the midfield for Tony McEntee's side, but they should have capitalised upon their purple patch even more, as they had two further goal chances. O'Connor's fierce shot came off the crossbar, and Gerard Smith produced a dramatic goal-line stop to deny Mikey Gordon.
The Breffni men settled, and kicked the last four points of the half to lead 0-11 to 1-3 at the break.
An injury to Martin Reilly aside, Mickey Graham could be thrilled with his side's first-half showing, as 11 different players provided the scores.
Sligo made a bright start to the second-half. Substitute Murphy made an immediate impact with two points, and Spillane closed the gap to two.
Up the other end, Devaney pulled off impressive saves to deny Thomas Galligan and Oisin Kiernan.
Gearoid McKieran eventually settled Cavan with a score in the 43rd minute, but they could not shake off the Sligo challenge.
Cavan were living on the edge, with Killian Brady saving an O'Connor shot .
Murphy continued to cause headaches for the Cavan defenders, but McKiernan was responding in kind up the other end.
Sligo's shooting efficiency brought them back into contention, as they did not kick a wide in the second-half until the 68th minute. However, they then began to spurn opportunities at crucial moments.
Ultimately, the Yeats County needed a goal which never came, and time ran out.
Cavan were pre-tournament favourites, and are through to the Tailteann Cup final. But Graham will know his side will need to improve for the decider in two weeks' time.
Referee: Fergal Kelly (Longford)
Scorers
Cavan: Gearoid McKiernan (0-4), Gerard Smith (0-4), Cian Madden (0-2), James Smith (0-2), Raymond Galligan (0-1, 0-f), Killian Brady (0-1), Killian Clarke (0-1), Conor Brady (0-1), Thomas Galligan (0-1), Oisín Kiernan (0-1), Martin Reilly (0-1), Paddy Lynch (0-1).
Sligo: Patrick O'Connor (1-2, 1-0p, 0-1m), Niall Murphy (0-4), Seán Carrabine (0-3, 0-2f), Pat Spillane (0-2), Darragh Cummins (0-1), Alan Reilly (0-1), Pat Hughes (0-1).
Teams
Cavan
1. Raymond Galligan
4. Killian Brady
3. Pádraig Faulkner
2. Jason McLoughlin
5. Ciarán Brady
7. Conor Brady
10. Oisín Kiernan
6. Killian Clarke
11. Gearóid McKiernan
12. Gerard Smith
23. Stephen Smith
13. Martin Reilly
14. Paddy Lynch
8. Thomas Galligan
9. James Smith
Subs
Cian Madden for Martin Reilly (31)
Oisín Brady for Stephen Smith (58)
Conor Moynagh for Killian Brady (67)
Luke Fortune for Ciarán Brady (68)
Chris Conroy for Paddy Lynch (75)
Sligo
1. Aidan Devaney
2. Nathan Mullen
4. Paul McNamara
3. Evan Lyons
5. Luke Towey
6. Darragh Cummins
7. Paul Kilcoyne
8. Peter Laffey
9. Pat Spillane
10. Mikey Gordon
11. Alan Reilly
12. Keelan Cawley
13. Seán Carribine
14. Pat Hughes
15. Patrick O'Connor
Subs
Niall Murphy for Pat Hughes (ht)
Mark Walsh for Keelan Cawley (53)
David Quinn for Darragh Cummins (62)
Conor Griffin for Peter Laffey (63)
Donal Conlon for Pat Spillane (70)