Roscommon applied the after-burners in the final quarter to comfortably see off Sligo and maintain their push for a knockout berth in this year's All-Ireland SFC.
With Enda Smith kicking 0-05 from play and Dylan Ruane netting his first championship goal, it was another good afternoon at the office for Davy Burke and his players who narrowly top Group 3 on scoring difference from Dublin heading into the final series of matches.
Predictably, the opening half was a cagey affair with both teams putting bodies behind the ball. Roscommon spurned a couple of goal chances, but Sligo’s accuracy left a lot to be desired as the visitors shot ten wides with the wind behind them.
Diarmuid Murtagh and Niall Murphy swapped frees inside the first 11 minutes, but a feature of the opening half was Sligo trying "pot shots" from distance and failing to hit the target, while Diarmuid Murtagh was denied a goal by Aidan Devaney’s smart save.
Seán Carrabine, from a long-range free, and Cian McKeon exchanged points before Murtagh (free) and Enda Smith edged Roscommon in front.
Murphy reduced the arrears with his second free of the afternoon before Enda Smith, Diarmuid Murtagh and Ben O’Carroll left Roscommon 0-07 to 0-03 ahead after 25 minutes.
A neat score by Carrabine on the run was followed by an excellent effort from Alan Reilly to leave just two between them.
Colin Walsh fisted his first score in championship football, but Reilly was on hand again to land a decent score to leave Sligo trailing 0-08 to 0-06 at the break.
Early points from Enda Smith and Ciaráin Murtagh (free) suggested that Roscommon were going to pull away but the impressive Reilly and Carrabine replied to leave Tony McEntee’s side still very much in the hunt.
Another flurry of Roscommon scores from Cian McKeon, Ciaráin Murtagh and Dylan Ruane left the Rossies five points to the good. But they were rocked back on their heels when substitute Mark Walsh set up Reilly for a well-worked Sligo goal in the 49th minute.
But the Roscommon response was superb as they kicked 1-03 without reply — the goal coming from Ruane after being picked out by a superb Smith pass.
Sligo were now a spent force as Donie Smith came off the bench to kick a couple of scores for the home side. Diarmuid Murtagh also tagged on two late points, but it was fitting that Enda Smith kicked the final score of the afternoon to crown a superb individual display.
Roscommon: Conor Carroll; Colin Walsh (0-01), Brian Stack, David Murray; Niall Daly, Eoin McCormack, Conor Daly; Eddie Nolan, Enda Smith (0-05); Ciaráin Murtagh (0-02, 0-01f), Ciarán Lennon, Dylan Ruane (1-01); Cian McKeon (0-03), Ben O’Carroll (0-01), Diarmuid Murtagh (0-06, 0-04f).
Subs: Niall Kilroy for Conor Daly (45), Donie Smith (0-02) for Lennon (48), Richard Hughes for McCormack (62), Conor Hussey for Niall Daly (63), Conor Cox for Ruane (65).
Sligo: Aidan Devaney; Evan Lyons, Eddie McGuinness, Nathan Mullen (0-01); Paul McNamara, Brian Cox, Luke Towey; Cian Lally, Paul Kilcoyne; Finnian Cawley, Seán Carrabine (0-03, 0-01f), Alan Reilly (1-03); Luke Nicholson, Paddy O’Connor, Niall Murphy (0-04, 0-03f).
Subs: Pat Spillane for Cawley (h-t), Mark Walsh for Nicholson (h-t), Mikey Gordon for O’Connor (56), Keelan Cawley for Towey (65), David Quinn for Carrabine (70).
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork).
