Connacht SFC: Leitrim's net gain as Exiles exit

May 28, 2017

Leitrim's Darragh Rooney wins possession against London.
©INPHO/Garry McManus.

A brace of goals from substitute Ronan Kennedy edged Leitrim past London at revamped Ruislip, 3-10 to 0-16.

The Exiles, for whom Tyrone's three-times All-Ireland winner Owen Mulligan was handed a start wearing the No.26 jersey, made a real fight of it and scored three times more often than the winners, but it was goals from Kennedy (2-2), who joined the action in the 40th minute, and debutant Darragh Rooney that ultimately secured Leitrim a semi-final date with Roscommon in three weeks.

Rooney's 22nd-minute major made it 1-5 to 0-3 but with influential captain Liam Gavaghan - who registered eight times in total - and Conor Doran on target for the hosts, the gap was just two at the short whistle, 1-6 to 0-7, Damien Moran spearing three first-half points for Brendan Guckian's charges.

As the underdogs' belief soared in front of a capacity crowd, Rory Mason (2), Mulligan and Gavaghan pointed and the Exiles roared into a 0-12 to 1-7 lead but Kennedy's goals in the 51st and 54th minutes proved decisive in the end, although spirited London, who go into the Qualifiers, never gave up.

Leitrim - B Flynn; M McWeeney, R Gallagher, P Maguire; J Rooney, D Wrynn, O Madden; S Moran, D Moran (0-3); D McGovern (0-1), B Gallagher, R O'Rourke; K Beirne (0-2, 1f), C Gaffney, D Rooney (1-2). Subs: R Kennedy (2-2) for C Gaffney, W McKeon for R Gallagher, G Plunkett for D Moran, N Plunkett for O Madden, C Cullen for S Moran. 

London - G McEvoy; P Butler, M Carroll, A McDermott; M Jordan, R Jones, Ciaran Dunne; C Og Greene, L Gavaghan (0-8, 2f); O Mulligan (0-1), M Gottsche (0-1), J Branagan; R Mason (0-4, 1f), C Doran (0-2), C Coyne. Subs: K Hughes for C Doran, G Crowley for M Carroll, D Carrabine for Ciaran Dunne, Colin Dunne for M Jordan.

Referee - N Mooney. 


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