Sligo v Roscommon: Connacht SFC semi-final preview
Friday 19 June 2015 13:15, UK
A Connacht final date with five-in-a-row chasing Mayo is the prize on offer for Sligo and Roscommon when they collide in Markievicz Park on Saturday evening.
The counties meet for the first time since the 2010 Connacht final when Donie Shine kicked 0-10, including a last-minute free, to clinch a 0-14 to 0-13 victory for the Rossies.
However, Shine has been omitted from John Evans’ starting line-up for Saturday’s contest and is one of two changes to the team that beat London in Ruislip last month.
Conor Daly replaces Shine in the half-forward line while Ronan Stack comes in for Donal Ward, who suffered a shoulder injury while working as a prison officer.
Evans has made a number of positional switches in his forward line. Cathal Cregg moves to centre-forward in place of Shine, with Ciaráin Murtagh named in the full-forward line alongside brother Diarmuid after hitting 1-2 against London.
Sligo are the last county to get their championship campaign underway, with their last competitive fixture coming against Armagh on April 5.
Yeats County boss Niall Carew hands championship debuts to midfielder Cian Breheny, who is the nephew of centre-forward Mark and Sligo legend Eamonn O’Hara, as well as defenders Daniel Maye and Eoin Flanagan and wing-forward Criostoir Davey.
Sligo are 3/1 underdogs to progress to the Connacht final but Carew believes they possess the attacking talent to cause Roscommon problems.
“I think with the forwards I have at my disposal, I would be crazy to play defensively,” said Carew, who is in his first season as Sligo manager.
“You have to play to your strengths and with the scorers we have, I have to play a more attacking game.
“If we go on the defensive you won’t get the most out of lads like David Kelly, Pat Hughes, Adrian Marren and Mark Breheny.”
Sligo: Aidan Devaney; Ross Donovan, Kevin McDonnell, Daniel Maye; Keelan Cawley, Brendan Egan, Eoin Flanagan; Cian Breheny, Niall Murphy; Criostoir Davey, Mark Breheny, Neil Ewing; David Kelly, Pat Hughes, Adrian Marren.
Roscommon: Darren O'Malley; Seán McDermott, Niall Carty, Neil Collins; Ronan Stack, Niall Daly, Ciarán Cafferky; Ian Kilbride, Cathal Shine; Conor Daly, Cathal Cregg, Enda Smith; Diarmuid Murtagh, Senan Kilbride, Ciaráin Murtagh.
Watch Sligo v Roscommon live on Sky Sports 5 on Saturday from 6.45pm
