This is a round-up of the 2002 Sligo Senior Football Championship. Eastern Harps claimed their fifth title in this year, defeating Coolera/Strandhill after a replay, and prolonging the latter's long wait for glory. The participants were expanded from 12 to 14, and relegation playoffs were introduced for this year, with Cloonacool the first to be relegated.
Group stages
The Championship was contested by 14 teams, divided into four groups. The top two sides in each group advanced to the quarter-finals, with the remaining sides facing the Relegation playoffs to retain Senior status for 2003.
Group A
Date Venue Team A Score Team B Score 24 August Markievicz Park Eastern Harps 0-13 St. Mary's 0-13 25 August Ballintogher Drumcliffe/Rosses Point 1-10 Cloonacool 0-8 31 August Easkey St. Mary's 4-15 Cloonacool 2-4 31 August Markievicz Park Eastern Harps 2-11 Drumcliffe/Rosses Point 1-5 7 September Tubbercurry Eastern Harps 0-13 Cloonacool 0-5 7 September Markievicz Park St. Mary's 1-9 Drumcliffe/Rosses Point 1-3
TeamPldWDLForAgainstPtsSt. Mary's3 2 1 0 5-37 3-20 5Eastern Harps3 2 1 0 2-37 1-23 5Drumcliffe/Rosses Point3 1 0 2 3-18 3-28 2Cloonacool3 0 0 3 2-17 5-38 0
Group B
Date Venue Team A Score Team B Score 24 August Tubbercurry Curry 0-12 Easkey 0-9 25 August Ballymote Bunninadden 1-12 Shamrock Gaels 0-7 1 September Tubbercurry Curry 0-12 Bunninadden 0-6 1 September Markievicz Park Easkey 1-10 Shamrock Gaels 1-9 8 September Tubbercurry Curry 5-14 Shamrock Gaels 1-7 8 September Markievicz Park Easkey 0-14 Bunninadden 0-11
TeamPldWDLForAgainstPtsCurry3 3 0 0 5-38 1-22 6Easkey3 2 0 1 1-33 1-32 4Bunninadden3 1 0 2 1-29 0-33 2Shamrock Gaels3 0 0 3 2-23 7-36 0
Group C
Date Venue Team A Score Team B Score 24 August Easkey Coolera/Strandhill 1-8 Castleconnor 0-5 1 September Ballymote Coolera/Strandhill 0-13 Tourlestrane 0-10 8 September Kent Park Tourlestrane 1-6 Castleconnor 0-4
TeamPldWDLForAgainstPtsCoolera/Strandhill2 2 0 0 1-21 0-15 4Tourlestrane2 1 0 1 1-16 0-17 2Castleconnor2 0 0 2 0-9 2-14 0
Group D
Date Venue Team A Score Team B Score 24 August Kent Park Tubbercurry 1-7 St. John's 0-3 1 September Kent Park Grange/Cliffoney 1-12 Tubbercurry 1-5 8 September Kent Park St. John's 4-13 Grange/Cliffoney 0-7
TeamPldWDLForAgainstPtsSt. John's2 1 0 1 4-16 1-14 2Tubbercurry2 1 0 1 2-12 2-15 2Grange/Cliffoney2 1 0 1 1-19 5-18 2
Playoff
There was one playoff required, in Group D where Grange/Cliffoney eliminated Tubbercurry from the Championship.
Game Date Venue Team A Score Team B Score Sligo SFCPlayoff 14 September Kent Park Grange/Cliffoney 2-8 Tubbercurry 1-10
Quarterfinals
Game Date Venue Team A Score Team B Score Sligo SFCQuarter Final 15 September Tubbercurry Tourlestrane 0-14 St. John's 0-5 Sligo SFCQuarter Final 15 September Tubbercurry Eastern Harps 2-7 Curry 0-8 Sligo SFCQuarter Final 15 September Markievicz Park St. Mary's 1-9 Easkey 1-8 Sligo SFCQuarter Final 21 September Markievicz Park Coolera/Strandhill 0-11 Grange/Cliffoney 0-6
Semifinals
Game Date Venue Team A Score Team B Score Sligo SFCSemi-Final 29 September Tubbercurry Eastern Harps 0-15 Tourlestrane 1-11 Sligo SFCSemi-Final 29 September Markievicz Park Coolera/Strandhill 1-7 St. Mary's 0-9
Last eight
Sligo Senior Football Championship Final Eastern Harps0-9 - 0-9(final score after 60 minutes)Coolera/StrandhillManager:Eamon Clarke
Team: P. Walsh F. Candon K. Phillips M. Cosgrove P. McGovern B. Phillips (Capt) F. Sexton P. Grady M. McCormack M. Doddy (0-1) K. Carty (0-2) P. Henry S. Gallagher (0-2) P. Taylor (0-1) S. Dorrian (0-3)
Substitutes: R. Donovan J. BruenHalf-time: 0-6 - 0-5
Competition:Sligo Senior Football Championship(Final)
Date:Sunday, 6 October 2002
Venue:Markievicz Park, Sligo
Referee: Marty Duffy (Enniscrone)Manager:Declan McCabe
Team: J. Curran R. Doyle N. Carew (0-1) K. Cooney T. Watters J. McPartland (Capt)(0-1) S. O'Neill C. O'Meara K. Quinn (0-3) S. Carty (0-1) K. O'Neill B. Doyle C. Mullen J. Joyce (0-1) T. McMahon
Substitutes: K. Gilligan (0-1) L. Healy (0-1) P. Hegarty
Sligo Senior Football Championship Final Replay Eastern Harps0-12 - 0-8(final score after 60 minutes)Coolera/StrandhillManager:Eamon Clarke
Team: P. Walsh F. Candon K. Phillips M. Cosgrove P. McGovern B. Phillips (Capt) F. Sexton P. Grady M. McCormack M. Doddy K. Carty P. Henry S. Gallagher (0-4) P. Taylor (0-1) S. Dorrian (0-7)
Substitutes: K. Casey R. Donovan J. Bruen T. TaylorHalf-time: 0-5 - 0-2
Competition:Sligo Senior Football Championship(Final)
Date:Saturday, 12 October 2002
Venue:Markievicz Park, Sligo
Referee: Marty Duffy (Enniscrone)Manager:Declan McCabe
Team: J. Curran R. Doyle K. Cooney K. O'Neill T. Watters N. Carew S. O'Neill K. Quinn (0-3) S. Carty B. Doyle J. Joyce T. McMahon L. Healy (0-1) J. McPartland (Capt)(0-4) P. Hegarty
Substitutes: C. Quinn M. Howley
Relegation
Game Date Venue Team A Score Team B Score Sligo SFCRelegation Playoff 15 September Ballymote Bunninadden 2-11 Drumcliffe/Rosses Point 1-5 Sligo SFCRelegation Playoff 21 September Tubbercurry Tubbercurry 1-9 Cloonacool 1-4 Sligo SFCRelegation Playoff 28 September Ballymote Shamrock Gaels 1-13 Cloonacool 1-8 Sligo SFCRelegation Playoff 28 September Kent Park Castleconnor 0-13 Drumcliffe/Rosses Point 2-5 Sligo SFCRelegation Playoff Final 5 October Kent Park Drumcliffe/Rosses Point 1-6 Cloonacool 0-5
References Sligo Champion (July–October 2002) Sligo Weekender (July–October 2002)