Kerry 2-12

Sligo 1-6

Kerry enjoyed a double-scores victory over Sligo in the first part of this afternoon's All-Ireland MFC quarter-final double-bill at a blustery O'Connor Park.

Goals in either half from Brian O Seanachain and Conor Geaney helped Jack O'Connor's charges to a routine win which leaves them just 120 minutes away from retaining the Tom Markham Cup, and means the Kingdom will have two teams in All-Ireland semi-final action at Croke Park on August 23.

Geaney was the Kerry scoring star, with his four first half points helping them to a 1-6 to 0-3 interval lead. Sligo, who were coming off the back of a heavy Connacht final replay loss to Galway, opened the scoring through Finian Cawley, but Geaney quickly brought the winners level from a free before O Seanachain raised the game's first green flag in the sixth minute.

Geaney added three more points and Daniel O'Brien also found the target as the Kingdom surged into a 1-5 to 0-1 lead. Graham Kennedy replied with a brace of points for the Yeatsmen, either side of a Gavin White effort.

Liam Gaughan and O'Brien traded points on the restart before Kennedy left just five in it, 0-5 to 1-7. But that was as close as Sligo would get as Geaney fired a 40th minute major and added two quick points to ease the All-Ireland champions into a 2-9 to 0-5 lead.

A late Sligo rally yielded a point from Cian Lally and a Kyle Cawley goal, but Kerry had the final say through Ronan Buckley.

Kerry - B Courtney; D Brosnan, J Foley, J Morgan; G White (0-2), M Breen, D O'Brien (0-2); A Barry, JM Foley (0-1); B Barrett, B O Seanachain (1-0), S O'Shea (0-2, 1f); S O'Sullivan, B Sweeney, C Geaney (1-4, 0-1f). Subs: M Foley for S O'Sullivan, T O'Sullivan for D Brosnan, E Cronin for S O'Shea, R Buckley (0-1) for JM Foley, J Duggan for B Barrett, D O'Shea for M Breen.

Sligo - C McGovern; M O'Dowd, E McGuinness, B Mahon; N Mullen, D Cummins, M Gordon; K Banks, P Kilcoyne; L Gaughan (0-1), R Kennedy (0-2, 1f), F Cawley (0-2, 1f); S Power, P O'Connor, K Cawley (1-0). Subs: A McLoughlin for P O'Connor, N Rooney for N Mullen, C Lally (0-1) for K Banks, C Herron for R Kennedy, O Gilmartin for E McGuinness (BC).

Referee - J Hickey.

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