Sligo got the better of Donegal at MacCumhaill Park in what proved an entertaining encounter in the Leo Murphy Cup.
Sligo raced to a three point lead in the opening seven minutes , Kieran Kenny , Luke Marron and Daire 0 Boyle all scoring from play.
Indeed it could have better for the visitors had Donegal goalkeeper Aaron Cullen not denied Matt Henry with an excellent save in the first minute.
The home team finally settled and replied with four points in a row, two frees from Sean Ward and two from play by Cian Rooney to put Donegal ahead, 0-04 to 0-03.
However, Sligo responded well and hit back with three quick points, Marron with his second score, Canice Mulligan and Daire O Boyle and when Marron kicked his third and fourth points of the game, Sligo led by 0-08 to 0-04 in the 26th minute, and with no further scoring, that’s how it stood at half-time
After a scoreless opening seven minutes to the second-half, Luke Marron picked up where he left off in the first with two points from play , Christy Mulligan quickly replied from play and David 0 Boyle from a free, 0-06 to 0-10 to Sligo .
The home team then had their best spell since those four in a row in the first-half, with two frees from David Boyle and points from play by Cian Rooney and Cian McMenamin to a lone reply from Luke Marron, to leave just a point in it , 0-10 to 0-11 to Sligo.
But the visitors rallied again and a cracking goal from Ross Doherty and another Luke Marron , his eighth of the game put them five ahead with time up.
Christy Mulligan added another Donegal point to leave the final score 1-12 to 0-11 in Sligo’s favour.
Donegal: Aaron Cullen , Cian Mulligan , Shaun Doherty , Daire Ferry , Donal Gallagher , Kyle Murray , Karl McGee, Oisín Caufield , Conor Reid , Oisín Crawford , Sean Ward (0-02f’s), Christy Mulligan (0-02 ) David Boyle (0-03f’s), Conor O Neill , Cian Rooney (0-03 ), Subs ; Ferdia Doherty and Cian McMenamin (0-01), for Cian Mulligan and Oisín Crawford ( both h/t ), Daniel Marley for Caufield ( (43mins), Kevin Lynch for Reid (48mins),
Sligo: Ethan Carden , Zac Mahon , Luke Cassidy , Ross Chambers , Rossa Sloyan , Kieran O Reilly , Dillon Walsh , Kieran Kenny (0-01 ) Canice Mulligan (0-01 ) , Ross Doherty (1-00 ) , Daire O Boyle ( 0-02 ), Conor Sheirdan , Luke Marron ( 0-08 /2f’s), Adam Gallagher , Matt Henry . Subs ; James Kiernan for Sloyan (h/t), Thomas Lagan for Kenny (48mins), Brian Bryne for O Neill (50mins),Eoin O Donnell for Chambers (60mins ).
Referee: Mark Loughran ( Tyrone ).
