Easkey 1-11

Clonbur 1-10

Easkey became the first Sligo winners of the Connacht club junior football championship crown since 1999 this afternoon.

The 'Sea Blues' bridged a 19-year gap to take the Yeats County's second title in this competition with a narrow one-point victory over beaten Galway finalists Clonbur in Enniscrone. In what proved to be the last kick of the game, Ryan McKenna was the Easkey hero as his late point snatched a dramatic win for the Sligo champions.

Backed by a strong breeze, Easkey had led by 1-8 to 0-2 at the break, their goal coming from Emmet Healy on 16 minutes. Dessie Sloyan's charges looked to be coasting to provincial glory when they increased their lead to eleven on the resumption with a brace of points from wing-forward Healy.

However, All-Ireland club JFC champions six years ago, Clonbur were not going down without a fight and made the most of the elements in their favour to score 1-8 without reply. Walter Holleran got the goal for the Galway representatives to make it a four-point game with 10 minutes remaining, 1-10 to 1-6.

It was all Clonbur as they hit four further points to leave the sides level going into injury-time before full-forward McKenna held his nerve to hit the match-winner in the dying moments.

Easkey - S Kilgannon; I Barrett, N McGuire, B Feeney; E Moylan, R McHugh (0-1), J Lindsay; E Mullen (0-1), M Gordon; D Sloyan, J McHugh, E Healy (1-3); A Kilcullen (0-2), R McKenna (0-3, 1f), K Duffy (0-1). Sub: J Feeney for J Lindsay.

Clonbur - E Joyce; M Coyne, O Canney, D Feerick; D Wallace, D Kyne (0-1), D Morrin (0-1); A Kyne, C Burke; F Curren, E Joyce (0-7, 6f), M Kerrigan (0-1); T Lydon, W Holleran (1-0), M Mannion. Sub: P Feerick for M Mannion.

Referee - L Devanney.

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