Galway 0-7

Sligo 1-4

The Connacht minor football final is heading to a replay after Galway scored the last three points of a poor game to earn a draw with Sligo at Dr Hyde Park.

The replay is expected to take place on Friday evening and both teams will be eager to serve up a much better spectacle than what was witnessed today. Galway, who had hammered holders Mayo in the semi-final, registered the first two points through Colm O Braonain and Finnian O Laoi, but were undermined by poor finishing and had racked up eight wides by the 22nd minute.

Liam Gaughan eventually opened Sligo's account in the 12th minute, only for O Laoi to restore the Tribesmen's two-point advantage. Gaughan left the minimum in it again from a free before Patrick O'Connor raised the only green flag from a speculative shot in the 27th minute to give Aidan Rooney's underdogs a 1-2 to 0-3 half-time lead.

O Laoi kicked his third point on the restart for Stephen Joyce's men, but Sligo looked the most likely winners when Darragh Cummins' brilliant point put them three clear, 1-4 to 0-4, with 20 minutes remaining.

However, they wouldn't score again as an Eric Lee '45' provided the spark for Galway's late surge. O Braonain cut the gap to a point before Cillain McDaid levelled from a free to deny Sligo their first provincial title in the grade in 47 years.

Galway - R O Beolain; C Mulry, D McHugh, I Kent; S Kelly, L O'Ceallaigh, J Daly; C O Braonain (0-2), C McDaid (0-1f); E Lee (0-1'45), C Marsden, C Brady; F O Laoi (0-3), M Boyle, R Forde. Subs: C Ryan for C Marsden, P McCormack for M Boyle, E Conroy for C Brady.

Sligo - E Kilgannon; B Mahon, E McGuinness, M O'Dowd; N Mullen, F Cawley, S Power; D Cummins (0-1), P Kilcoyne; L Gaughan (0-3, 2f), N Rooney, S Carrabine; K Cawley, P O'Connor (1-0), M Gordon. Subs: A Kearns for B Mahon, C Herron for S Carrabine, K Banks for P Kilcoyne, R Kennedy for L Gaughan, A McLoughlin for K Cawley.

Referee - P Neilan.

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