Leitrim 4-19
New York 0-7

It was all very comfortable for Leitrim with Emlyn Mulligan grabbing a hat trick as they brushed New York aside at Gaelic Park in the first game of the 2013 senior football championship.

The home side came within a whisker of shocking Galway two years ago but Leitrim were all business and two goals in the first quarter and an unanswered 1-8 at the start of the second half finished the game as a contest

New York opened the scoring through Conor Lynam but Leitrim responded with a salvo of 1-3 to set the tone for the encounter.

Emlyn Mulligan, who was one point away from being the top scorer in the Allianz FL, continued that brilliant form throughout and when Rob Lowe finished to the net, the Connacht side were 1-3 to 0-1 ahead.

New York needed something to lift them at that point and they were given the perfect opportunity when Jason Kelly bore down on the Leitrim goal, but Cathal McCrann was up the challenge and pulled off great save to deny the centre forward.

The sides swapped point before Mulligan found himself at the end of a swift counter attack to grab goal number two.

A couple of quick points later and the visitors had stretched the lead out to 11-points, 2-7 to 0-2.

New York enjoyed their best period just before the break with Lynam again among the scorers, as they went in trailing by 0-5 to 2-8 at the short whistle.

Nine points was a huge mountain for Connie Molloy's team to overcome but that was the least of their problems as Leitrim tore the opposition apart on the restart, with that 1-8 salvo before New York grabbed their first point of the half on 60 minutes.

Kevin Conlon pointed straight from the throw in and within minutes Mulligan grabbed his second and Leitrim's third goal. A flurry of scores from Lowe, Mulligan, James Glancy and Mossie Beirne meant that the lead was out to 3-16 to 0-5, before CJ Molloy grabbed a New York point, before earning himself a second yellow card.

Mulligan still had time to finish off with a third goal as Leitrim advanced, with Sligo or London now standing between them and a provincial final appearance.

Leitrim - C McCrann; A Wynne, F McMorrow, P Maguire; D Beck, G Reynolds, W McKeon (0-1); T Beirne (0-2), D Sweeney (0-1); P Brennan, E Mulligan (3-7, 6f), G Hickey (0-1); K Conlon (0-1 '45), J Glancy (0-3), R Lowe (1-1). Subs: B Brennan (0-2) for Sweeney, B Prior for Conlon, Cox for Hickey, C Egan for Wynne, E Williams for Maguire.

New York - G Joyce; P Lambe, M O'Regan, D Jackson; L Maguire, K Scally, A Rafferty; G O'Driscoll, C J Molloy (0-1); E Ward, J Kelly (0-1f), C Lynam (0-1); M Annett, K McGeeney, J Burke (0-3, 2f). Subs: C Hogan for Ward, R Woods (0-1) for Kelly, D O'Dwyer for Lambe, R McGinley for Jackson, J Connolly for McGeeney.

Referee - M Higgins. Tweet

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