Sligo took a huge step towards survival in Division Three as their recent upturn in form continued at Corrigan Park on Sunday to get the better of Antrim who are now staring relegation in the face.
They did it by dominating the first half and then fending off the Antrim surge in the second, with top-scorer Alan McLoughlin thumping over a two-point free with 67 minutes on the clock, and this proved the insurance his side needed.
Sligo had the first three points on the board with Alan Reilly, Alan McLoughlin and Niall Murphy getting off the mark and they would lead the charge for the visitors.
Antrim required the first of three first-half 45s from goalkeeper Michael Byrne to get them moving, but Sligo were bossing it and gradually pulled clear as they were finding holes, with Antrim’s accuracy in passing letting them down.
A fine score from Antrim’s Eunan Walsh hinted at an injection of life for the hosts, but the goal that Sligo had threatened duly arrived two minutes before the half as the Antrim defence seemed to switch off, allowing Sligo all the time to work open a tap-in for Luke Towey, while Patrick O’Connor saw a shot tipped over in added time as Sligo held a commanding 1-11 to 0-6 lead at the break.
The hosts needed a drastic improvement to get back into it and they delivered in the third quarter with 1-4 without reply.
Half-time sub Dominic McEnhill grabbed 1-1, his goal coming with 50 minutes played as he finished a flowing move that began with Coor Hand’s run at goal, while the Safrons felt they could have had an earlier goal only for Walsh to be penalised for overcarrying.
Just as it seemed the pendulum had sung towards the hosts, Sligo rattled off the next three points through Spillane, McLoughlin and Murphy and after Ryan McQuillan pulled one back, the teams swapped two-point frees through Murphy and Byrne.
A Ronan Boyle score left two in it heading down the stretch, but that two-pointer from McLoughlin gave Sligo a cushion, and although Eoghan McCabe pointed for the hosts to leave a goal in it.
Antrim were chasing that second major, but it wouldn’t come as Sligo held firm to leapfrog Antrim in the standings ahead of next week’s final round where they host Leitrim and Antrim head to Kildare.
Antrim scorers: M Byrne 0-6, D McEnhill 1-1, R McQuillan 0-3, C Johnston 0-1, E Walsh 0-1, P McBride 0-1, R Boyle 0-1, E McCabe 0-1.
Sligo scorers: A McLoughlin 0-6, N Murphy 0-5, A Reilly 0-3, L Towey 1-0, P Spillane 0-2, C Lally 01, P O’Connor 0-1
Antrim: M Byrne; E McCabe, E Walsh, K Keenan; J Finnegan, J Lenehan, D McAleese; C Stewart, E Quinn; P McBride, N Burns, F Nagle; C Hand, C Johnston, R McQuillan.
Subs: R Boyle for J Finnegan (23), D McEnhill for C Stewart (HT), R McCann for C Johnston (HT), P Finnegan for P McBride (61), R Murray for E Quinn (66)
Sligo: D Lyons; E Lyons, E McGuinness, P McNamara; B Cox, D Cummins, L Towey; C Mulligan, P O’Connor; C Lally, D Quinn, A Reilly; A McLoughlin, N Murphy, P Spillane.
Subs: R Doherty for A Reilly (38), N Mullen for L Towey (51), S Deignan for P Spillane (52), P Kilcoyne for C Lally (68), M Gordon for P O’Connor (70+2).
Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan)