Roscommon relegated after another second-half collapse
Derry’s Declan Cassidy tries to take possession around Roscommon's Donie Smith during Sunday's league game at Celtic Park. Picture: INPHO/Lorcan Doherty
Roscommon couldn’t pull off a miracle at Celtic Park this afternoon as they were beaten by 13 points by Derry, and were subsequently relegated to Division Two.
For the first 40 minutes, Roscommon stitched together their best effort of the season but they couldn’t sustain it, and their two-year stay in the top division petered out without a whimper.
Davy Burke’s men created plenty of goal chances in the first half, but they only availed of the gift handed to them when Derry goalkeeper Odhran Lynch couldn’t control a ball that bounced over his head, allowing Donie Smith to palm into the empty net after ten minutes.
The visitors needed that score as, moments earlier, a loose kickout by Conor Carroll went straight to Conleth McGuckian, and he set up Declan Cassidy for a simple finish.
Enda Smith, Eoin McCormack and Niall Daly kicked good points from play, but with Derry leading by 1-6 to 1-5, Brian Stack blazed a great goal chance wide.
Derry made the Rossies pay when Ethan Doherty and Shane McGuigan landed scores to hand the home side a three-point lead at the break.
Early points from Diarmuid Murtagh (free) and Enda Smith to erode the deficit to a point suggested that Roscommon were up for the challenge with news coming through from Killarney that Kerry were beating Galway — the other part of the equation that the Rossies needed to come up trumps.
But their challenge collapsed spectacularly as Derry effortlessly moved through the gears to hit 1-7 without reply.
Man of the Match Lachlan Murray grabbed his side's second goal as Derry sliced through the Roscommon defence at ease.
In the end, it was a hard watch as Roscommon shipped another hefty scoreline, one of the many problems they must find a cure for before Mayo or New York come to Dr. Hyde Park in four weeks’ time.
