Both managers agreed afterwards that justice had been done. The Galway manager, John O'Mahony was understandably much more relaxed than he had been the previous week when Sligo had come within a minute or so of beating the All-Ireland champions.

"Naturally enough I am pleased with how things turned out, but there are things about it as well that I am not all that happy with. In fairness to Sligo the score does not reflect the course of the match. We now know that they are a very fine side indeed and they didn't deserve to be beaten by such a wide margin.

"At half-time we felt that we were in for a very tough match. Sligo played it hard and fair and they deserved better. It was a very physical match and some of the decisions that were made I am not too happy with. The final scoreline does not do Sligo justice. They are young side with a lot of potential and I feel they will be around for a while," he said.

Sligo manager, Mickey Moran, was bitterly disappointed with the result. "It wasn't so much that we were beaten but that we lost by such a wide margin. We had our chances and I believe that we should have been leading by three or four points at half-time. In a game like this, however, you have to take your chances and if we had got that goal in the second half I believe we could have lifted our game and maybe have sprung a surprise.

"The match in Sligo showed what we were capable of doing. To score three goals against the All-Ireland champions in the championship match is something we can be proud of. This is still a very young team and we have a lot of other players coming through from the minor and under-21 sides and there is great potential in the county.

"As well as that we have qualified for the first division of the National League next year and that will give us the kind of experience that a team like this needs," he said.

Asked about his future as Sligo manager his wry smile said a lot. "The fact of the matter is that I will consider my position within the next week or two. Living as I do in the north of Derry I travelled 42,000 miles in my time with Sligo and with family and work commitments that is a very heavy burden.

"However, I will not make up my mind until I speak to the County Board, and to the players. In particular I would like to say that the players have worked extremely hard and have done everything I required of them during the past few years and I won't let them down," he said.

Two of the most distinguished players to line out for Galway and Sligo liked the game.

Sligo's Mickey Kerins said he was disappointed with the margin between the teams at the end. "I thought that they (Sligo) should have been ahead by at least three points at half-time But I can't understand how they relaxed to such an extent in the second half."

He felt Galway should go further now. Former Galway great Sean Purcell was of the same opinion. "I am pleased with the Galway performance and I think that they learned a lesson from the first day in Sligo.

"I am looking forward to the Connacht final against Mayo," he concluded.